Poisoned Cinnamon
by DewWater
Summary: Hinata is a wisher. Ino is a liar. Sakura is a magic bean buyer. And me, Tenten? I'm a shrink. A PSYCHOLOGIST. And my newest patient is the most cynical, icecubish, jerky...well, he's Hyuuga Neji. NejiTen
1. The Boar

**A/N: So here I am again, writing a Naruto chapter fiction. **

**This one IS an AU fic. I suppose Chords could be classified as one also, but this one is a TOTALLY human story. You can relate a lot more to the plotline.**

**I am hoping that it will be liked!**

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**Day 1**

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_Rrriiing. _

_Rriiing._

Tenten groaned and rolled over to slam her hand down over the persistent alarm clock. It vibrated under her hand and slid towards the end of the dresser, and finally, fell off. It stopped ringing. She sighed in relief, her face buried into her pillow. Her brain felt slow and muggy. Sunlight was heating up the back of her neck. All of her hair was loose and all over the place.

"Tenten! Time to get up!"

She promptly clamped the pillow tighter to her face. _This is truly an ungodly time of the morning_.

Into her pillow, she mumbled a babyish "Go away!" There was a pause, footsteps coming up the stairs, and then a slight creak when someone pushed open her door and walked across her room towards the bed. Her ears perked up. Then there was a swish as the somebody threw back the curtains and fresh sunlight flooded the room.

"Ohayo!" said her mother cheerily.

Tenten felt like screaming in irritation. She sat herself up, and caught a look of herself in the mirror across the room. Her hair was looking like it could eat Godzilla without much trouble: it stuck out in spikes in all directions. There were purple bags under her eyes.

"Need. Caffeine," she groaned.

Her mother, Aki, put on a stern face. "Tenten, it is nine in the morning. You need breakfast, not coffee."

Tenten glared at her mother from the bed, and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "I didn't get to sleep until past midnight last night."

Her mother raised an intrigued eyebrow, wearing an expression that said, _do tell, because then I'll have a valid reason to ground you for staying up that late._. Tenten had been aiming for a more worried and sympathetic demure.

"Oh? What for?"

She paused. "Homework," she spat out.

Her mom snorted. For a woman past her forties, she had a strange understanding of the teenage mind. Perhaps it was what being a psychologist did for you: her mother probably understood the cogs of Tenten's complicated brain better than Tenten herself did.

"I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Kaaaa-saaaan," Tenten whined.

Her mother sighed. "I have to get to work, Tenten. Behave yourself." She walked forward for a hug, but Tenten just threw the blanket back over herself. Her mom sighed again and walked out of the door. Tenten peeked around the blanket. Safe.

She went down for coffee.

O0O

"So, guess what?"

Tenten blinked wearily at her mother as she entered in through the front door, still watching the TV screen out of the corner of her eye. "What?"

"Guess!" her mother insisted. Her face was glowing. Or it could have just been the light from the TV.

"You got a raise?" Tenten suggested out of nowhere. Her mother laughed.

"I wish. They're letting me go on vacation! A new family moved into our neighborhood, and the father's a psychologist too! They think he can take over for me early this year." She beamed. "Isn't this great? We can get some quality family time in."

"What family?" Tenten said airily.

Her mother gave her a dangerous look. "Tenten."

"Okay, okay," Tenten sighed, and flipped off the TV. "Where are we going on vacation?" Her mom shrugged.

"Sky's the limit."

"How about Las Vegas?" Tenten suggested randomly, images of many gambling machines and skylights popping into her head. She would like to see some of those grand hotels. Maybe watch a few shows. Sneak into a casino…

"No," her mother said firmly, crushing her imaginations.

Tenten shrugged and got up from the couch. "Well, I feel like staying home this summer anyways."

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Tenten, you are nowhere near responsible enough for that." Tenten scowled and crossed her arms.

"I know karate. I can cook…somewhat. I can take care of myself," she argued.

Her mother sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I couldn't sleep easily if I went on a vacation and left you all alone in the house." Tenten sighed.

"Pllleeeasse?"

"I'll think about it," her mother said slowly. "I still don't think it's such a good idea."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

O0O

"So, kaa-san…" Tenten said over her cereal the next morning.

"Yes?" said her mother, sounding distracted. Her face was hidden partially by her brown bangs, and her shiny white name tag, labeled AKI in sharp black font and with smiley faces on either end, perched jauntily on her coat jacket. Tenten realized with a jolt how purple the bags under her mother's eyes were.

"What do you think about leaving me alone here this summer?"

Her mother squinted her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as if blocking a rather unpleasant nosebleed. "Tenten, I don't know about this. We're going to be out on vacation for a while. What money would you use?"

Tenten smiled. "Your credit card."

Her mother raised her eyebrow, as if to say "very funny", and continued. "Who would cook your meals?"

"Thank God that we have take out."

"Absolutely not! Take out is horrible for your mental and physical health," her mother reprimanded. Tenten sighed and pretended not to hear her. Her teachers often complained about this one behavior of hers: her head usually wondered off in class, usually dreaming up new plots for one of her farfetched fantasy stories. She absently picked at a scab on her elbow and stared at her soggy cereal.

"I'll survive," she muttered.

"Tenten, I really don't think it's the best idea."

"Would it make you feel better if I stayed with somebody else?"

Aki sighed and smoothed back her stray bangs. "There is nobody here that would take you on for more than a month. And even if they agreed to, it just wouldn't feel right pushing you onto them at such short notice. Wouldn't a vacation be fun?" Her tone sounded pleading now.

Tenten rolled her eyes again. "There's a boarding house about five minutes drive from here."

"There is?" her mother looked surprised for the first time.

"Yeah…" she said slowly, carefully calculating her mother's expression. Maybe there was hope. "It just opened a few months ago. Relatively new. The owners are pretty trustworthy." _At least, that's what the reviews online say._

"Hmm."

"I have my allowance," she hurried on. "I could pay the rent. It's not so bad. I might have to share a room with other people…" Her mother looked skeptical again. "Gender separated, I promise," she added quickly. "All girls."

"Well…" Aki contemplated her only daughter's face thoughtfully, and Tenten thought she detected a trace of doubt. She felt a tightening feeling in her stomach. _Am I really that much of a disappointment? Since when did I care?_

"Alright."

She paused and waited for it to sink in. "HONTO?!"

Aki smiled and laughed. "Yes. Pack your bags."

"ARIGATO!!"

O0O

_Okay, this isn't half bad._

Tenten smiled at the room that she dragged her large, economy-style green suitcase into. It was furnished simply: two bunk beds, a nightstand, a lamp, a chair, and a few other simple things like pictures to decorate the walls. The beds were all stripped of sheets. She smiled wider. At least she would be able to stamp her personality all over the place.

She chose the bottom bunk of the bed nearest to the table lamp, since she loved to read so much. Just as she threw her trunk onto the bed and managed to unclasp the locks, there was a gasp at the door.

"This place is _tiny_, kaa-chan."

Tenten turned to see a tall, platinum-blonde haired girl, her blue eyes wide and her lips set into a babyish pout. She crossed her arms and made a disappointed face at her mother, another pretty blonde woman but with darker hair. "It is _so_ not worth the arm and leg that we paid."

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She had thought that the price seemed fairly reasonable.

"Ino, calm down," the older blonde woman soothed, giving her daughter a slight push into the room and smiling graciously at Tenten. "It can't be so bad. It's only for a few weeks. Hello there. How are you?"

"…Fine," Tenten said uncertainly.

"Well, I'm so glad that Ino here has a roommate!" the strawberry blonde beamed. "She can get so lonely for girl time cooped up in our house with her little brother."

_Girl time?! I didn't sign up for this!!_

"Uh…yeah…that sounds…" she paused. "Wonderful." She tried to smile and strongly suspected that she grimaced instead.

Ino rolled her eyes, and picked the high bunk from the bed that Tenten was not occupying almost immediately, swinging a hot pink duffel bag over the slats and climbing up with agility that rivaled a monkeys. Tenten raised her eyebrows at her as Ino immediately pulled out a handheld mirror and started to apply mascara.

"What?" she said indignantly when she saw Tenten staring. Tenten shook her head.

"Nothing at all."

"Oh, honey, come give me a hug," gushed Ino's mother. Ino smiled and leaped back down from the bed, landing without so much as a thud, and ran to give her mother a very cheesy hug. Tenten turned away. Her own mother had hardly stayed to see her get settled in. She had left once she made sure that the reception lady and her husband were not drug dealers.

Ino's eyes were teary once her mother had left the room. _Waterproof makeup_, Tenten noted. She hoped that this little fact did not imply that Ino was a drama queen who cried often.

"I've never been on my own much," she admitted, sitting on Tenten's bed. Tenten opened her mouth to protest, and closed it again. She was feeling a bit homesick herself.

For the first time, Ino seemed to take in her new roommate. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What is that _smell_? And how can you wear those _hideous_ shorts?" Tenten immediately took a defensive stance, and pinched the blue fabric of her basketball shorts. She was rather fond of them.

"What smell? What's wrong with my shorts?"

Ino sniffed her. Tenten recoiled, giving her a glare. "You stink like wet dog," Ino accused.

"I do not!" Tenten blurted without thinking, only realizing that it sounded babyish once the words were completely out of her mouth.

"You do," Ino said. "I should know. I used to have a dog-" She stopped abruptly, and shook her head. "Nevermind."

Tenten squinted at her. "Get off my case, alright? I don't care if you've got some obsession with fluffy pink things, but lay off of my stuff." She began to unfold her army green sheets and her simple black and white checkered blanket that she used only for summertime. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Ugly," she muttered under her breath.

Tenten sighed. This was going to be a long summer.

O0O

_Rrriing._

_Riiing._

_Oh, please, please, please let me be dreaming._

Tenten groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The alarm clock next to the table, digital, read 6:45 in blaring letters. This time, however, it was the cheap phone that rang. She picked it up, feeling something odd tasting in her mouth.

"Hello?"

"Tenten, oh, thank goodness," said a voice that she didn't recognize.

"Uh…um…" Her mind wasn't coherent enough yet. "…May I ask who's calling?"

"That was rude of me. I'm sorry. I'm Yoshida Saburo, from your mother's office?" He sounded unsure of himself. She nodded, not remembering that she was on the phone. He continued. "I needed to ask you something on the urgent side. I'm sorry if I woke you." He really did sound apologetic. She stifled a yawn.

"What is it? Shoot."

"Well, we're running short on hands over here since your mother and a few of the other regular staff left early on vacation. I was thinking that you could come over and help out once in a while. We'd pay you reasonably, of course."

She yawned, and this time, failed to stifle it. "What do you mean, 'once in a while'?" He coughed nervously.

"Er, how does three days a week sound to you?"

Her eyes bugged. "_Three days a week?_ That's a lot more work than I was planning for How much will you pay me?"

She could almost hear his smile. "Enough."

She pursed her lips. "And if I refuse?"

"Well, I would say that this is an excellent opportunity for you. Don't all teenagers want summer jobs?" _All except for me. I want to sleep. _"Besides, a little extra money can't hurt you. Getting to know your mother's office and her coworkers will be good for you! Just think, how much of a surprise it'll be for her once she's back from vacation! She'll be so proud of you."

She winced. He'd hit her weak point. Tenten hadn't realized she wanted her mother to be proud of her until he mentioned it.

"What's the time to arrive?"

"Oh, around eight or nine in the morning is fine. It's not bad hours. Your mother says you're good at organizing things."

_Liar._

"Well…I'll think about it."

"That's all I need. Thank you. Good night."

The phone went dead. She glared at it. "Thanks for the wake-up call," she spat in the most sarcastic voice that she could manage. She fell back into the pillow, pitying herself and reflecting on why life had to always be a living Hell.

O0O

"I hear you got a summer job, Ugly."

Tenten swatted the hovering Ino from over her shoulder as she attempted to brush her teeth. As expected, Ino's toiletries were all pink: a pink toothbrush, pink comb, pink toothpaste, pink facecloth…Tenten made a face.

"Shut up. Who told you?" she said, irritated, as she accidentally brushed too hard against her gum. _Crap. Blood._

"A little birdie told me," Ino smirked. "I'm surprised that someone as _ugly_ as you, with no manners at all, could get hired so easily."

"You're just jealous. Stop calling me Ugly."

"U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, yeah, yeah, you ugly-"

"Shut _up!_" She turned around and shoved Ino, accidentally getting white toothpaste froth all over the protesting blonde's face. She narrowed her eyes.

"You shut up!"

"You started it! Get out of my life, blondie!"

"You want war? Then you'll get it!"

"Fine!"

They stormed out of the bathroom.

O0O

_You know, I could get used to this._

Tenten smiled, in a much better mood now, at the blue sky and the pleasantly warm sunlight that touched her face. She was in a baggy blue T-shirt and old jeans, but she figured that they would just be having her do filing and stuff, so nobody would care anyways.

Her old Nike sneakers squelched against the mud on the ground, as her mother's office building came into sight. She tensed. She hadn't been here since her father left.

Inside, the air conditioning was turned up so high that she was afraid that her joints would develop arthritis. Luckily, the receptionist told her to go up 2 floors and see "Saburo-sama", and she took the elevator. It was the type that played music while you went up. She figured it would be like that.

Yoshida Saburo was a pleasant-looking man, but one with an air of slyness: typical salesperson type. His smile was inviting when he beckoned to a chair that she should sit down in.

"Ah, Tenten. Just the girl I've been waiting for!" Another smile. She smiled stiffly back. All of her school portraits were nightmares. She hated her smile. "I've heard lots about you from your mother," he continued. She grimaced. Small talk was her enemy.

"Since it's your first day, I think you'll just be assisting Yumi, another one of the psychologists that work here. She's friends with Aki." As if out of nowhere, a brown-haired lady appeared in the doorway, with wide blue eyes and a clipboard in her hands.

"Hello," she said, smiling. Tenten was forced to smile back again. What was it with these people and smiles?!

"Come with me," she beckoned with one finger. Tenten realized that her nails were red and razor sharp. "You'll just be doing some filework," Yumi explained as they walked through several hallways. "Simple enough, once you get the gist of it. You want to keep clear of my office: I'm still taking patients, and some of them are a bit difficult if they are interrupted by loud people."

_You think I'm loud? You haven't met Ino._

Yumi stopped abruptly, and smiled at Tenten again. Tenten didn't smile back this time. "This is the file room. Everything is kept strictly confidential, of course," she said, taking out a key ring and fumbling with it until the door at last popped open with a satisfying click.

Tenten gawked. There were thousands of manila envelopes. There was a printing machine and a copier too. It made strange, whirring noises.

"Sort the files in this cabinet in alphabetical order," Yumi instructed. "I'll come back to check on you at noon, and tell you when lunch break is. Good luck!" she chimed, and with that, was out of the door. Tenten stared hopelessly at the tall file cabinet as if it were an executioner's axe. It might as well be.

_Now I really need caffeine._

**A/N: So that was the first chapter!! I hope you liked it.**


	2. The Blossom

**A/N: Yay, now to continue.**

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**Day 2**

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Tenten dragged herself out of bed.

The second day of work that week was not treating her well. Though she had finally been allowed a coffee break. Tenten admitted it: she was a coffee addict. Could coffee kill you? Was being addicted to it lethal? She shrugged it off and ran her fingers distractedly through her hair.

"Could you shut the damn alarm clock?" Ino groaned and rolled over in her bed, putting a (pink) pillow over her head. Tenten sighed and slammed her hand down on the offending noise and went to use the bathroom.

Just as she was about to close the door and take a pee, there was a knock on the dorm door. Curiously and half agitatedly, she walked towards the door, wondering who could be calling for them this early. Groggily, she stood on tiptoes and peered through the peephole.

Outside was a boy with a bored expression, his hands stuffed into his pockets and his brown hair stuck casually back into a messy, spiky ponytail. She furrowed her eyebrows. Had she called for a delivery or something? Maybe Ino had ordered pizza.

She opened it, realizing that she was still in her pajamas and probably had a twitching eye. The boy raised his eyebrows at her mussed appearance.

"Ino here?" he drawled without bothering to introduce himself.

Tenten paused and then nodded. Hey, if he happened to be a stalker, then maybe he would take Ino off of her hands.

"Ino, wake up," he shook the blonde's shoulder. Ino gave a muffled groan and pulled the pillow tighter over her head. Tenten sighed and went back into the bathroom.

"Shika!" she heard Ino squeal a minute later.

_Shika? Odd name._ She brushed her teeth, rinsed, and grabbed a pile of clothes out of her trunk, eyeing Shika suspiciously before retreating back into the bathroom to change. She was running late, as usual. She charged out of the door without so much as saying goodbye.

O0O

"You'll be sorting cabinet number two today."

Yumi smiled her stiff smile, and backed carefully out of the room with her nose wrinkled, as if it gave off some sort of unpleasant smell. The door clicked shut with a rather ominous sound. Tenten eyed the file cabinets warily.

"Are you mocking me?" she asked the second cabinet detachedly as she picked up an empty plastic crate with her arms. "Well, you better not be. You're not the one who's breaking their back day after day like this for just a little over minimum wage." She paused thoughtfully. "You're a good listener, huh? Well, I'm not even sure why I took this job. Seems kind of stupid now." Another pause. "I suppose I could use the extra money…Mom'll be impressed."

"I am sure that she will be," said a deep voice from the door. Tenten wasn't thinking straight. She nodded amiably in agreement, while continuing to messily sort exploding files.

"Yeah. You think so?"

"Hn."

"This is a nice room."

"You are talking to a file cabinet."

Tenten whirled and nearly sprained her back as she realized that she was talking to somebody and that the somebody had been watching her, and that she was acting really, really stupid.

A boy stood at the door.

Tenten wasn't like most girls with boys. She didn't get the whole "chemistry" thing. To her, boys were either idiots or friends. She had lots of friends that were boys. Not boyfriends. But she wasn't stupid. She had to know that this guy was pretty good-looking, though a bit odd. His face was icy pale, to match his eyes. _Was he blind?_ His brown hair, usually average, was long and tied into a loose ponytail. His features were severe and mature, though he could not have been much older than herself.

She scowled.

"Look, are you lost or something?" she prompted, fighting to keep her annoyance and frustration under control.

"No."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not in particular." He raised his eyebrows at her.

She sighed and threw down the files. "Well, then can you leave me alone? I've got to work, or I don't get paid." She eyed his clothing, which didn't seem shabby. He didn't give her something to work with. Tenten was no expert with clothes. Even so, the simple white shirt and black shorts weren't anything fancy. But better than she was dressed. There was something _neat_ about this guy. And not just his clothing, either.

He bowed formally. She winced. That totally belonged in some kung fu movie starring Jackie Chan.

"As you wish." He backed out of the room. The sounds of footsteps going down the hall were all but invisible when muffled by the carpet.

She nearly pulled her hair out, willing herself not to scream out loud. Life really, really sucked.

O0O

"So?"

Tenten scowled at Ino. It seemed like she was doing a lot of this lately. Scowling. Not spending time with Ino.

"So what?" She had just finished relating the story of the mysterious boy to Ino, who, she grudgingly admitted to herself, would probably know more about this type of thing than she did. She folded a hideous green collared shirt her mom had leant her and stuffed it under the bed with her foot.

"Was he hot?" Ino wiggled her blonde eyebrows. Tenten sighed and fell backwards onto the bed.

"You know what?"

"What?" Ino said eagerly.

"I hate you. I really do. I wish that you would die a slow and painful death, and then I would cackle over your grave and throw you into an incinerator."

That wasn't what she really said. She said, "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Ino prodded, sounding rather exasperated. "Didn't you at least look at him? C'mon, Ugly. Give me details."

Tenten flipped her legs over onto the bed, and pushed her hands behind her head against the cool side of the pillow. "I honestly don't really care," she mumbled. "He was just a guy in passing. I'll probably never see him again."

Ino smirked. "You say that like you're regretting it."

"Regretting what?" Tenten asked, confused.

"That you're not going to see him again."

Tenten flushed all the way up to her hairline. "Well, I could've at least asked his name. I'm just curious, is all."

Ino smiled, showing all of her perfectly white teeth, (though they were hidden behind braces. The rubber bands were pink, white, and red.), and shook her head. "Right."

"Yes. That's right." Tenten turned off the light. She tossed and turned all night.

O0O

The next day, she woke up early, but willingly. She smiled to herself and hummed a tune as she dressed in the bathroom, hurrying to brush her teeth. Ino actually laughed at her in the bathroom, chuckling to herself. Tenten shrugged.

"What?" she said around the toothpaste foam.

"You're actually _happy_ today."

Tenten shrugged again. "Is that illegal? I have the day off. Sue me."

Ino rolled her eyes and began carefully combing her long, corn silk hair. Tenten felt a slight stab of envy, though she would never admit it. Her own hair, though it was still pretty in its own way, was short and brown and average. Ino looked like Repunzel.

"What are you, Barbie?" she said instead. Ino scowled. Her features were small: small, straight nose; small, colorless lips, and a small, heart-shaped face. All except for her bright blue eyes, which were about as big as eyes could go.

"Shut up."

"Touchy, aren't you?"

Tenten laughed when Ino took a swipe at her with the hairbrush, and danced out of the room. She slipped on a pair of ankle socks and her Nikes, and then she burst out of the door, down the steps, and into the fresh air of the bustling street. She sighed and inhaled deeply. Freedom.

Her first stop was to the Starbucks located down the street. The air inside was just right for the weather. She ordered an Arabian Mocha Sanani, and sat at a booth quietly sipping. She wished she could walk in, and go, "Hey, the usual please," like they did in movies. That would have been rather awesome.

She tapped her toes lightly under the table. Her cotton shorts swished slightly. She absently fiddled with the hem of her soccer jersey, which she had tied with rubber bands at the shoulders.

There was a girl ordering coffee at the counter. She stood out, Tenten thought wryly. She wore combat boots and striped knee socks and an overall-mini-skirt thing that had Sharpe names written all over it. Her hair was…Tenten laughed. She didn't even know that you could dye your hair that color. It was all stuck back into her baseball cap.

"Arabian Mocha Sanani," she ordered. Tenten smiled in surprise. Her voice was pleasant: in a range between soprano and alto, and bell-like.

She turned, and stared at Tenten. Then she raised her eyebrows, and drummed her fingers against the countertop, losing interest in a moment. Tenten went back to her coffee. She wasn't an interesting person.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Tenten looked up, at the girl with her Arabian Mocha Sanani, and nodded weakly. The girl looked at Tenten as if she thought she might be dumb. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief as she slid expertly across the booth and towards the window.

_Pink. Hair._

Tenten stared.

"Your name?" the girl inquired matter of factly as Tenten continued to gape.

"Tenten," she said. The girl laughed.

Tenten waited. "You aren't going to tell me your name too?"

Pink-Hair shook her head, sipping her coffee calmly and watching Tenten with those strange green eyes. She was rather attractive, Tenten thought. The girl had mascara on her eyes and a slight tinge of lip gloss on her mouth. Tenten suddenly felt underdressed. And plain.

"No."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "It's personal info. Don't want to give it out." She winked obviously, and stood up suddenly. Tenten unconsciously felt herself stand too.

"Listen. I need a favor," she said, slinging a pack over her shoulder. Tenten had not noticed it before then. It was made of jean.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I'm looking for a place to stay." Pinky paused, and pressed her lips together. Tenten wondered if it was because she was spreading the lip gloss, or worried about something she was not willing to tell. Something about the way she was talking was unusual.

"You know any?"

"Any what?" she asked, startled out of her reverie.

"Places to stay. I couldn't come with you, could I?" she asked, hardly suppressing the tone of hope in her voice. Tenten faltered. The place she was staying at could use a few more customers.

"Follow me."

O0O

"Yo Ugly, I can't find m…who's she?"

Tenten sighed and shook her head at Ino. "I don't know," she said honestly.

Pink-Hair took out her baseball cap and rolled her green eyes. Her hair was actually pretty, though it was cut shorter than Tenten's. She kicked off her combat boots and sat cross-legged on the bunk on top of Ino's.

"Name's Haruno Sakura, Piggy. You got a problem with me staying here?" she challenged, leaning over the edge to talk with Ino, all of the blood in her draining to her face. Ino opened her mouth in anger.

"Hey, I haven't done anything to you," she protested. "Why are you all hating on me?"

Sakura smirked. "It's just the way that you're so disgustingly…preppy. And pink." She shuddered, and Tenten was a bit put out that Ino had learned her name before she had. But glad that Sakura was not another pink addict, as her hair suggested. She frowned. Why had she dyed it if she hated pink?

"_Pink_ is nationally recognized as a _girl's_ color," Ino protested hotly, glaring in turn at Tenten and Sakura. "It's not my fault that I'm stuck with an Ugly and a…a…" She stared at Sakura. "And a _Forehead-girl_. Weirdos."

She grumbled to herself.

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows at Sakura. Sakura winked at Tenten and stuck her tongue out at Ino. She _did_ have a rather large forehead. It made her seem innocent in all her punkish, gothic, emo glory.

"What's your name, piggy?" she called to Ino.

"Yamanaka Ino, Forehead-Girl. Don't you forget it."

"Sure, Ino-pig."

Tenten stared at the pair of girls, her new domestic nightmare, and wanted very badly to scream.

O0O

Tenten was an alone-person. She preferred working. Alone. Well. She didn't particularly enjoy work, either, but it was just an expression. She was also a James Bond fan, though nobody would ever get that out of her. She was good at skateboarding. A coffee addict. Usually good at making jokes. She pondered. Did she have any other skills?

Well, she was good at being a brat.

She sighed as she walked once more through the doors of the office, feeling worse for the wear as Sakura and Ino flicking crumpled pieces of paper at each other throughout the night had prevented her from sleeping. Not to mention that Ino now hated her with more ferocity than ever for bringing Sakura to their dorm. And Sakura was grateful to Tenten because she had a place to stay, and also because she now had somebody to torture. Tenten wasn't sure which was worse: anger, or gratefulness for something that she really regretted doing.

She took the elevator with the music up to her floor. Yumi nodded at her as she passed by, but didn't bother to show her the way. Tenten rubbed at her eyes. She never wore makeup. Her eyelashes were stuck together in triangles. There were purple circles under her eyes. She probably looked like she had seen some type of horrific traumatic event. Well. Ino and Sakuratrauma. Figures.

The file room. Also known as Disguised Torture Chamber.

She sighed again and pushed open the door, to be met by her mounds of unfinished sorting from the fruitless days before this. The kink in her neck was already whimpering in fear of the long day to come.

She just sat down and picked up a file labeled "B TO D" in red pen, (running low on ink, by the look of the fading letters), when Yumi pushed open the door, her red fingernails clacking against the doorknob. She smiled at Tenten.

"Uh…Tenten…" Tenten scowled. Yumi didn't remember her name. She was staring at Tenten's blue and white HI! I'M TENTEN! Nametag. It just made it that much worse. "…there's somebody I'd like you to meet."

She pushed forward a scowling boy with a cold face and long, brown hair. And white eyes that might possibly be blind. She stared, her mouth hanging open. Was it her, or was he taller?

"This is Hyuuga Neji," said Yumi, looking back and forth between the two of them. "He's coming in for therapy on childhood trauma." She coughed. She was probably the only person in the room who could say "trauma" with a bright, truly happy smile on her face. Tenten couldn't help but think that this Hyuuga Neji was all about trauma. He was freakish and mean and…

"…come with us to lunch break, please," Yumi's voice once again interrupted her thoughts. She coughed again, uncomfortable. "There's some things that we need to _discuss._" She gave Tenten the Look.

Warily, she pushed herself up from the floor and dusted off her old jean cutoffs. "Hyuuga Neji" raised his eyebrows. Damn it, he was better dressed again. She mentally slapped herself. Since when had this evolved into a competition? What girl compared how good she looked with a guy?! She was nuts. She wasn't normal.

"Okay. Shoot," she told Yumi.

"I think you'd better sit down," she said after a slight pause.

Tenten did. She wasn't one for surprises.

Yumi took a deeeeep breath. "Hyuuga Neji is going to be seeing you for therapy from now on."

--

**A/N: Ooh. Cliffy. Questions like "why is Tenten, who is completely untrained, supposed to give Neji therapy" and "God, why is Yumi suddenly pushing Neji onto Tenten as a responsibility anyways?" will be answered in the next chapter. Happy reviewing. Eat duck. Be happy. That is all. Ja ne. **


	3. The Sun

**A/N: Okay, I know the chapter titles are weird. Please bear with me. Okay? Okay. I also know that the personalities in this fic are different from how they are in the show or other fanfictions that I've written for Naruto. Why? I was looking for a breath of fresh air. I am SO TIRED of being me. (That sounds strange, but I'm hoping you guys can relate.)**

**Sometimes, some psycho ideas can be really, really good for you.**

**Yeah. I know you just want to read the fic. You're saying "SHUT UP ALREADY". So, since I'm a windbag and I'll keep going for a another few paragraphs if somebody doesn't stop me, here's the fiction chapter three.**

**--**

**Day 3**

**--**

"Shut up, Ino."

Ino cackled, and tried without success to stifle her mirth. Tenten scowled at the blonde. Sakura was in the corner on the swivel chair, listening to her iPod and completely ignoring her two roommates.

"You. Got. A. Mental. Patient," she choked.

Tenten sighed. "He's not a _mental_ patient. Just a…_traumatized_ patient." She paused. "Yeah. That sounded weird. Anyways, I'm sure he's a pretty nice person once I get to know him." _Who am I kidding?_

Ino rolled her eyes and snorted. "As if. Anyways, why are they making you do this? Why are _you_ choosing to do this? It's not like you can't just quit. They shouldn't be doing this. You don't have any degrees or anything."

Tenten sighed again. Leave it to Ino to get right to the point, (which she had been avoiding.)

"They think that having 'another kid his age' to talk to will help with the therapy that they're already giving," Tenten explained. "And who better than me, who they're already _paying?_ They're pretty sure that I don't secretly smuggle illegal drugs or get drunk on weekends or something, since my mom works there." She shrugged.

"So they want you to talk to him," Ino finished.

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." She picked at her cutoffs and felt the fuzz around the edges. She had to stitch them up, or they were going to flay apart. "I just have one problem with this whole arrangement."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought that you had more than one problem with it, but shoot."

Tenten sighed and put her face in her hands. "What do you _talk_ about with a guy who has long hair, suffered childhood trauma, and virtually does not get along with normal people? I guess they had a reason for paying me extra for this."

Ino laughed. "Is that all?"

"Is that _all_? Don't you think that's enough to worry about?"

"You're not thinking about what your mother will think once she's back. Or your reputation. Or the fact that he could be mentally unstable and attack you or something. Or that you could get in trouble with the law for interfering with professional psychological issues-"

"Okay, Ino! I really needed that right now!" Tenten exploded. "Just because your _pink_ life is perfect, you think that I'm crap? Thanks a lot!" She stormed out of the room. Sakura pulled down her earpieces in interest, her pink eyebrows furrowed at Ino in question.

"Smooth, Ino-pig."

"You know what, Forehead-girl?"

"What?"

"I hate you, very, very much. Enough so that if we were on some island in Antarctica and there were plenty of penguins to eat, I would still happily chop you into pieces and boil you instead."

She didn't really say that. Well, at least she hadn't meant to. What she meant to actually say aloud was a simple "shut up".

Instead, Sakura rummaged through her teeth cracks, (small as they were), with a toothpick, and spat in Ino's general direction. "Did you just say that you would cheerfully _eat_ me? Are the diets you use so bad that you're that desperate?"

O0O

Tenten was calm.

"I am calm," she said out loud just for good measure. A man in his forties and his small, black-haired daughter stared at her. She had on a baseball cap. "I swear to myself, right now, that I am perfectly calm," she reasoned, again out loud. The man and his daughter continued to stare, though they were trying to be subtle about it.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FUNNY?!"

They crossed the street. She cursed at herself.

"Go to Hell!" she very sweetly told her inner demon, again out loud. The little girl with the hat had come back to retrieve the bottle cap that she had dropped and rolled away. She stared up at Tenten warily.

"How?" she asked.

"What?"

"Well, you said to go to Hell. How?"

"STOP LOOKING AT ME FUNNY!"

She scrambled away. She sighed. She really, _really_ had anger management issues now. Maybe it ran down her mother's side.

She sat down on an anonymous doorstep, and stared at the world around her. She was already starting to forget why she was mad at Ino. Maybe the blonde had actually been concerned for her when she was suggesting all of those problems. Ino? Tenten considered. _Nah._

Come to think of it, Ino _had_ been rather sad when she had come. Her beautiful blonde mother, back then seeming caring and sad to see her child leave, now seemed like she might have been trying to get _rid_ of Ino by letting her stay in the boardinghouse. Tenten frowned. Why _was _Ino staying there anyways? She had never asked.

And Sakura, with her strange, abrupt request of a place to stay and her discomfort when she mentioned that request. Tenten frowned further, the corners of her lips pulling downwards. Maybe she would develop wrinkle lines. Where did _Sakura_ come from? Did she have a family?

Ino had a mother and a brother at least, and that strange Shika boy. Who did Sakura have?

And didn't Ino mention something about a _dog_? Tenten sighed. She really was the worst person to put in a room with a mysterious punk-emo-goth girl and Ino the prep, who might have possibly been dumped by her own parents. Tenten hated embracing feelings, though she considered herself rather sensitive. (At least, her mother said so. Constantly.)

Where was her mother now? Was she having fun without Tenten, for once? She suddenly felt that fiery aching in your eyes you get when either they are very dried out after going to the pool, or you are about to cry. And hard. Tenten thought that she knew which one this aching was.

Had Tenten's mother only agreed to this arrangement so that she could get rid of Tenten? She shook her head. Her mother had _wanted_ her to go on vacation with her. Aki wouldn't do something like that.

She stood, and dusted off the cutoffs. They really _did_ need stitching, she noted. She was wearing the same soccer jersey from the coffee bar. She sniffed herself suddenly, self-conscious. _Ugh. I really need a shower._ She studied herself in the dusty window of a moving shop, next to the doorstep. Had it been noisy living there next to a store, she wondered?

She herself looked hopelessly average: the brown buns, brown eyes, and old jean cutoffs. The muddy Nikes, the purple soccer jersey. It all seemed so childish. The blend of the crowd rushed along behind her. Tenten suddenly felt very small and very vulnerable.

"You are lost?"

She whirled and nearly did a head-knock with Hyuuga Neji. She was now fairly sure that he was not blind in any way. On the contrary, he seemed to take in much more than she did from their surroundings. She had been about to chop him into pieces, (oh yes, she remembered another thing she was good at: karate. And tae-kwon-do. And kung fu. And all things martial arts).

"What are _you_ doing here?" she let out before she could stop herself. Neji didn't respond. His stance was casual enough: the same white shirt and black shorts. Tenten had changed her clothes a few times since their first meeting. Maybe he wasn't as neat as she had first thought.

"It is a street. I am walking," he said. His head made a slight indication to the store. "Do you know the owners?"

She shook her head, still eyeing him warily. _Are you stalking me?_

"No. Just passing by. Speaking of which, I have someplace to go," she said stiffly. Her inward wince was the sign that she was aware of how impolite she sounded. It didn't seem to matter to the Hyuuga. He just nodded, and she dashed off. Of _course_ she had nowhere to be.

Tenten, of current, really had no life.

O0O

She ran back into the little girl and her father on her way home. The girl was really starting to make Tenten POed again.

"Would you like a ride?" she asked politely from the side of the car she was riding in with his father. "You seemed like you could use one back there." She pointed at the intersection. Her father leaned over the seat and nodded. "We could go to Hell together, if you want," said the little girl hopefully.

Tenten fought back the urge to laugh. "Yeah…sorry about that, I really am," she said to the father, surprised that she had actually meant it. He really looked a lot like his daughter. They had the same long, dark hair, the same gaunt faces. The same pale eyes. Blind? No, he was _driving._ She started. _Wait a minute...Doesn't Neji…?_

He made a face that said, _I think you're crazy, but that's okay._

She gave the two a thumbs up. "Thanks a lot for offering, but I'm only about a block away from where I'm staying." She gave two taps on the side of their door. The dad looked like he would probably be scrubbing the door free of crazy-germs for the next few days.

"Bye!" she called as they drove away.

A bottle cap rolled to a stop next to her feet. She picked it up. It was from a cappuccino bottle. She smiled to herself, holding it up to the light, and then she toasted the car as it drove away. At the closest stoplight, (though this was about two blocks away), she could have sworn that the little girl waved at her.

Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all.

O0O

"Ino? I'm sorry?"

"Leave me alone. The world hates me. I hate the world more," Ino sulked into her pillow. Her quilt, out even though it was summer, was a paler pink than the violently hot pink pillows he was cuddling. It had white flowers on it. Tenten winced.

"It's all my fault? I'll be your slave for life if you forgive me?"

Ino sat up. Tenten felt a small lurch of guilt when she realized that Ino's eyes were pink and puffy. Pink. Haha. She matched with her bedding. And her pajamas. And her bags…Tenten didn't think it very funny right then.

"Slave for life…?"

"Okay, I take that back," she said quickly. "Just…I'm really sorry for lashing out like that. I didn't think that I had it in me."

Ino's blue eyes softened slightly. "Okay, Ugly. I forgive you."

Tenten sighed and sat down on her bed across from Ino. Much as her preppiness annoyed her and gave Tenten possible reasons to want to strangle her, Ino was an okay person. Somewhere deep, deep down inside. Deep. Deep down inside.

Tenten swallowed. "Right. Thanks."

Tenten was a person who wanted friends, and had trouble making them. She couldn't shake the feeling of contempt that she felt whenever she looked at Ino and her pink. She subconsciously felt that she was better than that. Now she realized that she wasn't. Not at all. Tenten did not forgive easily. Funny. She had only thought of that as a virtue once she realized that it was something Ino had, and she, Tenten, did not.

"Wow. Clap, clap. I'm touched," Sakura drawled, lying on her back across the wooden slats that framed the bunk bed, her head hanging upside down and her back bent so far back and over the edge that Tenten feared for both Sakura's safety, Ino's safety, the bed's safety, and also that Sakura's chiropractor would be getting a healthy check sometime this month if she kept doing that.

Or maybe she was just jealous that Sakura was so flexible.

"Shut up. Not like you would know anything about apologies," Ino snapped.

Sakura shrugged, though the effect was strange when she was still upside down. "Figures that you would make so many assumptions about me," she snapped. Tenten felt herself relax as Sakura sat back up in her bunk and turned around in a more comfortable position to face them.

"What assumption? That you're a sucky person?" Ino suggested.

Sakura dropped the eyeliner that she was about to apply onto Ino's head. Ino glanced at the label. "You should _so_ not wear blue on your eyes. It clashes," she quipped. Sakura stuck out her tongue.

"Prep."

"Punk."

"Self-absorbed princess."

"Suicidal nobody."

"Who's suicidal?"

"Hllo? Do you see _me_ leaning backwards over the top bunk?"

"No, because I would kill you before I let you up here with me and my stuff."

Tenten decided that this would be a good time to get up and leave. She tried to do so as quietly as possible, but the bed groaned in protest when she stood, and Sakura and Ino both turned to look at her.

"Where you going, Tenten?" said Sakura, as if she were the warden of this place. Tenten glared at her. She was usually slightly more affectionate towards Sakura than Ino, (mostly because Sakura did not talk to her much), but now was not one of these moments.

"Nowhere in particular."

"You just went out! Aren't you guys going to finish your mushy apologies? Don't let _me_ break it up!" Sakura feigned a look of mock horror, and lay down on her stomach to listen to her iPod some more.

"Forehead-girl…" Ino said, annoyed, poking the mattress between the slats. Sakura rolled over and started thumping her heel to the rhythm.

"Don't be out to late," she called to Tenten, ignoring Ino, who looked about ready to shoot Sakura with a machine gun.

"Don't tell me what to do," Tenten snapped, sulking, and once again went out of the door.

O0O

The next morning, she was feeling _really_ glad that her three days at the office were over, but when Yumi called to inform her that her new "duties" with Neji would take up a day or two more of her time, she wasn't surprised. When you thought that life couldn't get any worse, it always set out to prove you wrong.

"Well, you won't actually have to come to the office," Yumi explained. "You'll be going over to the Hyuuga Compound to visit Hyuuga-kun. Here's the address." Tenten wrote it down while Yumi said it slowly twice. It reminded her of a commercial on TV.

"Good luck! Just give him a call when you want to go over, you know, for warning. I'll check in to make sure you're doing your job." It sounded like a threat. She repeated Neji's phone number for her twice, slowly. Commercial-lady style.

"Good luck again!" Tenten opened her mouth to say goodbye, (or to scream some profanities, she wasn't sure which), but the phone went dead on the other end. She sighed, half relieved and half disappointed. At least she wouldn't lose her job for cussing at Yumi for no reason.

"Ja ne," she waved to Sakura and Ino, who were pointedly ignoring each other. They ignored her too.

She decided not to call Neji, just to irk him. He irked her, but she didn't really know why. Now she wanted to return the favor in full.

"Hello, I'm Tenten. From the office?" she said, once she had finally arrived at the house. (It was quite a bit of walking. Her blisters were protesting.) Her knuckles hurt from knocking too hard on their door. She was staring at her feet. (Bad manners, she noted dully. She didn't care).

"Yes," said a deep male voice from the door. It was a grown man, she noted from the style of slippers, the voice, and the way that this person stood with a distinct air of machoness. (She found it sounded lame even in her head, but she couldn't describe it any way else.) "We have been expecting you. I wish that you had called, however." Now he sounded amused.

She looked up, finally, once she had found the courage, and nearly choked in surprise. It was the man with the black hair and the pale eyes and the daughter who wanted to go with Tenten on a vacation to Hell.

He looked slightly surprised to see her, too, though he handled it much better. He stuck out his hand. "Hyuuga Hiashi." Her hands were lost in his big, callused ones. She gulped. She was shaking.

"Come in," he said, standing aside. She took off her Nikes, wishing that they weren't _quite_ so muddy, and bowed, feeling sheepish.

"None of that. Neji is waiting for you." Hiashi said Neji's name with a note of bitterness in his voice. Tenten wondered why that was so. Maybe it was just the fact that she, a junior psychologist, was in his house and about to talk with his son about childhood trauma. Maybe it was Hiashi's fault.

"Uh, your son's really nice," she said weakly as he showed her the way to Neji's room. He looked surprised and pained.

"Neji is not…my son. He was my twin brother's."

Tenten fell silent. "Oh."

"I believe that you met my daughter, however, yesterday," he said. Sure enough, the little girl with the long black hair and sullen, yet strangely pleasant, face was sitting at the dining table, writing something on a piece of paper. She looked up at Tenten.

"Oh. You."

"Hi," said Tenten. "I'm…pleased to meet you. My name is-"

"Yeah, I know," said the girl absently, turning back to her paper. "I'm Hanabi." Tenten sensed that she was going to be ignored from now on, so she turned to Hiashi, and they continued to walk through the many,_ many_ hallways in the compound.

"Hanabi is my younger daughter. She is quite bright," said Hiashi in a monotone as their feet pattered over the traditional wood. Tenten felt awkward in her borrowed slippers. "My older one is supposed to be training," his voice hardened, "But she does not show much promise."

Tenten couldn't help but feel indignant for this mysterious other daughter. Why was her father so obviously picking favorites? Tenten felt a flash of guilt. She wouldn't know about favorites, being an only child and all.

"Training?" she inquired instead.

"Yes. Martial arts."

"Oh. I practice that too," she said in surprise.

"This is his room," said Hiashi, stopping in front of an average wooden door. Tenten would never have noticed it on her own. She bowed respectfully again, having no practice with this type of thing. Here in this ancient-feeling wooden home, her clothes and attitude seemed so out of place that it _hurt._

"Thank you very much," she said quietly. Hiashi grunted, and left.

She took a deep breath, turned to face the door, and knocked.

-

**A/N: Okay, cliffy. Again. Please review!**


	4. The Damned

**A/N: Okay, I already had the third chapter typed up as I am starting this. I just didn't post it sooner because…I wanted to torture people? No. But, well, I just felt like it. I was typing chapters too fast, and I really don't want to update my Twilight story right now, so I thought I'd procrastinate on everything xD. Sorry. But enjoy! Oh and by the way the "Day 1" thingies don't actually mean real days, since one or two of those pass in every chapter, but it's just my way of announcing chapters xD**

**-**

**Day 4**

**-**

Five seconds. Ten. A million years later.

Tenten let out a sigh of relief. It did not appear that Neji was in his room.

_Crreaaak._

She froze. Maybe she had judged too soon. Sure enough, the doorknob began to turn, and then the door began opening very, very slowly. Or maybe that was just her. She stared at the crack in the doorway, her eyes wide and directed towards her toes. Two slippered feet appeared in the crack…

"H-Hello."

Tenten looked up in surprise. Neji was a girl?

No. This was another person. She did look a lot like Neji though: they shared the same wide, pale eyes that Tenten had already realized were _not blind_, the same dark hair, (though this girl's was a shade darker than Neji's: a deep violet-black). They had the same nose. The same pale skin. Her expression was nervous, and a pink blush was across her nose. Who was she?

The girl tucked one of the strands of black hair that fell into her face behind her ear. She had the neatest bangs that Tenten had ever seen, as if she had just cut them in one stroke with shears. In back, her hair was so short that it stuck up.

"I'm sorry…is this Hyuuga Neji's room?" Tenten asked quietly, hoping very much that Hiashi had not led her to the wrong room on purpose.

The girl nodded timidly, her eyes still wide. Tenten realized that this girl must have been afraid of Tenten, but really couldn't think of a reason why.

"H-Hai, this is Neji-nii-san's r-room," she stuttered, as if she should not have been there, and stood to the side so that Tenten could enter.

"Gomen!" she bowed, and hurriedly ran down the hallway. Tenten was about to shout for her to wait, but thought better of it. _Strange girl._

She had called Neji her older brother. Did Neji have siblings? The Hyuuga's family was so confusing already. She stepped into the room.

It was rather dark inside, as the blinds were shut and no sunlight penetrated through. What light there was came from a tiny skylight in the ceiling. Neji was sitting in a wooden chair across from a more comfortable looking two-seater sofa. Perhaps that was where the girl had been sitting. Tenten wondered what they had been talking about.

"Um…hi," she said softly, and sat down on the sofa.

Neji stared at her with a disgruntled expression on his face, his white eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You again."

Despite the fact that she was supposed to be there to help him in his recovery process, she felt her temper flare. "Look, I'm taking time from my precious free moments to be here, so I would appreciate it if you cooperated."

"Hn." He looked towards the blinded windows, and though his scrutinizing white eyes were no longer on her face, she felt like she was still being watched by him.

"Who was that girl that was just here?" Tenten asked after a few minutes of silence, unable to think of something to chat about. Boys in general were no where near as chatty as girls were, and Hyuuga Neji did not seem like a talker. At all.

He turned very slowly to face her, as if she were dragging him out of a dream. His white eyes were cold. "Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hinata? Who's that?" Tenten said, confused. _Hinata…sun. Sun…that doesn't seem to fit her personality very well._

"My…cousin," Neji said stiffly, like he was still hiding something from her. Tenten felt something click. _That was Hanabi's older sister? The one that Hiashi doesn't like?_

"Oh."

Neji turned back to his window. Tenten sat with him there for what felt like millenniums but was actually just an hour, before Hiashi came in and announced that she could leave if she wished.

She hurried out as fast as she could without being impolite.

O0O

"How did it go?" Ino asked eagerly as soon as Tenten was in through the door, in a tone which clearly stated that Ino was eager for some new gossip. Shika, the boy with the weird ponytail, was sitting next to her on the bed again. Tenten noticed a bouquet of flowers lying on the bedside table. Had he brought them for Ino?

"Uh, hi," she said to Shika instead. "I think I answered the door for you a few days ago."

Shika nodded lazily, and stuck out a hand. "Nara Shikamaru."

Shikamaru. More of a normal name.

"Tenten," she said, and shook his hand. He seemed like a nice enough person. Ino glanced between them apologetically.

"Oh, sorry. Forgot to introduce you guys. Tenten's staying in the dorm with me," she said in a tone that implied that Tenten was a bother. She turned to Tenten.

"And Shika's an old friend." Tenten looked again at the flowers.

"He brought those for me! Isn't that nice?" Ino beamed and buried her nose in the flowers with such enthusiasm that Tenten wondered if she had accidentally given herself a bloody nose. Shikamaru looked embarrassed, though it was hard to tell, because his face hardly moved from its constantly bored expression. Tenten wondered if he was stupid.

"Ino, you're too loud," he complained.

Ino laughed and hugged him. "My family owns a flower shop," she explained to Tenten. "Mom sent these with him. I wish he had enough sense to bring me some on his own," she sighed. Shikamaru sighed too.

"Troublesome girl. I can't bring you flowers. Temari would kill me." He stood up to go.

Ino scowled like she had an unpleasant taste in her mouth. "Yeah, why don't you go to your darling Temari? I bet she's waiting," she said bitterly, practically frog marching him to the door. Tenten stared at them, bemused. A second ago, they had been best chums. Who was this Temari? It felt like there were too many things that she didn't know about people lately. Ino had secrets, Sakura had secrets, Neji had secrets. This sucked.

O0O

Sakura had been gone all day.

Tenten was sick of Ino's sulking expression and silence. She didn't have enough books to read, and she was agitated with lack of something to do. At least when Sakura was around, she and Ino's bickering could provide her with entertainment.

At last, at half past seven when Ino was just about to drive Tenten insane, (though this might have been a good thing. They couldn't force her to give therapy to Hyuuga Neji if she was mentally unstable too.), Sakura appeared in the doorframe, carrying a brown paper bag, like the kind they gave you in grocery stores.

"Why do you have that?" Ino sat up curiously. She sniffed. Tenten sighed. Ino had been trying to hide the fact that she was crying all afternoon.

"Paper bags are better for the environment," said Sakura matter of factly. "Plastic bags just fill up the garbage dumps. Did you know that plastic doesn't just rot like paper and go back to the earth? Do you know that Styrofoam, for instance-"

"Yes, treehugger, alright!" Ino exclaimed, going back to her sulking.

"I think she meant she wanted to know what was _in_ the bag," Tenten provided.

"Thank you!" said Ino from under her pillow.

Sakura went quiet, her usually flaming and mischievous green eyes suddenly shy as she looked down at her feet, her white fingers biting into the brown paper bag. Tenten glanced at her own tanned fingertips. Her pink hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and the loose strands fell forward against her face. Sakura fidgeted, and then climbed quietly up into her bunk.

"Well, what is it?" said Tenten.

"It's…nothing," said Sakura quietly, though the way that she set the paper bag very, very carefully at the foot of her bed did not suggest that it was just "nothing". Tenten pursed her lips, curious.

"Seriously, Sakura…" she said. "It can't be that important." She paused. "Wait. You don't…you know…"

Sakura raised her eyebrows, some of her usual spunky self back. "I don't what?"

"Well…like…deal drugs or something," Tenten muttered. After all, they knew very little of Sakura's personal history. Well, rather, they knew zip. She and Ino had caught each other last night trying to sneak into her trunk, and then Sakura had caught _both_ of them over the heads with Tenten's own baseball bat.

Sakura chuckled. And then she gurgled. And then she was laughing so hard that no sounds came out. She kept thumping her chest, trying to breathe while her eyes streamed with mirth.

"You gonna have a seizure?" said Ino flatly.

Tenten laughed nervously too.

"Okay, sorry, that was stupid," she muttered. "Just forget I ever said it, okay?" Sakura shook her head at Tenten.

"No, I do _not_ deal drugs," she gasped, trying to breathe properly again. "What the Hell gave you that idea?"

"Well…" Tenten gestured helplessly at Sakura. Sakura seemed to take in what she meant. The pink hair, the clothes, all of the heavy mascara.

"You know, my hair is naturally this color," she said conversationally. "And it's a free country. I don't have to dress like everybody else." She said it gently, but there was a hint of a reprimand in it.

Tenten shrugged. "Yeah. Wait. Your hair is _naturally_ pink?!" Sakura laughed uproariously.

"Yeah! I get it from my mother's side, Little Ten. Crazy, huh?"

"Did you just call me 'Little Ten'?! I'm taller than you are!" Tenten protested indignantly.

Ino sat up again, irritated. "Could you two _shut the Hell up?!_ Sakura, just show us what's in the bag already, if it isn't drugs." Ino sounded doubtful. She probably was just searching for a reason to call the FBI and throw Sakura into jail with all the other furry men with tattoos.

Sakura sighed, resigned, and picked up the bag again. She opened it. And tilted it towards Tenten and Ino below her so that they could see…

_Plop._

A perfectly red, perfectly ripe tomato fell into Tenten's palms.

_Plop._

Another fell into Ino's. They both looked up in surprise at Sakura, who was smiling awkwardly.

"Throw 'em back up," she said. They both tossed her back the tomatoes, and she put them carefully back into the bag.

"But…_why_ did you buy all of those tomatoes?" said Ino, completely bewildered.

Sakura smiled. "There's sixteen of them. And they're not for us. I'm taking them to someone special to me in the morning."

Ino and Tenten exchanged an incredulous look. About the only thing that they had in common was the fact that they were wary of Sakura and her strange ways, and that neither had ever stopped to consider that Sakura had _friends._

"Somebody special? Who?" said Ino.

Sakura smiled mysteriously. "Somebody that owes me his soul."

And leaving them to ponder this strange statement, Sakura reached over to flip her light switch, right above her head, and the room was bathed in darkness.

O0O

The next morning, Tenten was up earliest.

She lay in bed quietly for about half an hour before Ino blinked blearily at her from across the little piece of empty floor in their dorm at her, and then they both got up as quietly as they could and got ready in the bathroom. Another hour later, Sakura was up, and a tad confused at the absence of her two roommates. Shrugging, she made her way into the bathroom and also got ready.

When she went out of the door, fully dressed in a pair of striped leggings and a school girl uniform with her trusty combat boots, a French hat perched on her head, and clutching the fateful bag of tomatoes, Ino and Tenten followed after her.

Tenten had never tried stalking someone before. She noted how this could turn out to be a profession: you had to have some real skill to do it properly. She and Ino carefully followed Sakura, but the morning crowd often made them lose their view of her, and if they followed too close, they were afraid she would see them. They had to follow at just the right distance, with building corners to hide behind at their convenience.

Once, Sakura looked straight at Ino, but the blonde had a goofy jean wide-brim hat on, along with a high-collared sleeveless green turtleneck shirt, both clothing items that Ino would never wear. All of her hair was hidden. Ino pretended to walk the opposite way, away from Sakura, and the pink-haired girl did not look at Ino again.

After much walking and too many dangerous stops at the intersections, where they had to follow closer than usual because if they missed the light, then they would lose Sakura too, they finally arrived at a seldom-visited district of town.

It was all owned by some rich, very large, and well known family, but this was about as much that either Tenten or Ino knew. They curiously and quietly followed Sakura down the empty street, taking care to stay in the shadows, adrenaline pumping in their systems.

At last, Sakura came to a medium-sized home marked with a white and red fan on the door. She knocked, and it might have just been the fact that they were looking for something unusual, but Tenten noted that Sakura's eyes were uncertain and that her hand was shaking slightly.

The door opened.

In the doorway stood what they assumed was the person she was looking for. He was really rather good looking. His ebony hair contrasted starkly against his pale skin, almost paler than Sakura's, and his onyx eyes were set like dead jewels into his face. Even his _clothes_ were black: a black button-down shirt, black jeans, and a golden hoop with a shark tooth on it in one ear. Tenten shuddered. He was even scarier than Sakura. Granted, Shikamaru and Ino both had little silver hoops in both ears, but Shikamaru was hardly _threatening_.

They could barely hear what the two were saying, but Sakura shoved the bag of tomatoes at the guy, and he took them without so much as a thank you. At first, their voices were soft and murmured, as if just exchanging a few greetings. Then, Sakura shoved him. Ino choked in surprise.

"You nasty _bastard_!" she screamed. "If you _ever_ leave again, I'm going to _pound_ your face in until they have to _bury you in that Uchiha graveyard!_ Do you _hear_ me? DO YOU HEAR ME, UCHIHA SASUKE?!"

She had already forced him through the door, so Ino and Tenten crept nearer to see what was happening. Sakura was now punching every inch of this Sasuke that she could reach. Tenten felt a jolt of surprise when she realized that Sakura, though her expression was furious, had tears rolling down her face.

She was about to throw a well-aimed punch at the guy's jaw, (Tenten was impressed. She was trained in martial arts, and she could tell that Sakura wasn't. The pink-haired girl's knuckles were bleeding and bruised, but that punch would have hit home), when he caught her wrist, his eyes still very calm despite the growing bruise spreading across his cheek.

It was almost as if he had _let_ Sakura hit him.

"Stop."

His voice was cold and unfeeling, even more so than Neji's. Tenten shuddered.

Sakura kicked him, and he released her. "You owe me, Uchiha," she spat at his feet. "Here I am, bringing you a gift, and that's what you tell me?"

"It was your choice to react," he replied calmly.

"Like Hell, Uchiha," Sakura spat again.

"Uchiha?" His eyebrows were raised. "Since when was I Uchiha?" he probably should have sounded hurt, but instead his black eyes danced with amusement. "What happened to me being your _Sasuke-kun_?" he whispered the last bit in her ear, just loud enough that Tenten and Ino could hear.

Ino glanced at Tenten. Tenten glanced at Ino. What the Hell was going on? First she brings him a gift, then she punches him, and now they look like they're having some kind of twisted reunion?!

Sakura shivered. "Shut up," she said weakly.

"Thank you for the tomatoes," said Uchiha Sasuke, and he closed the door in her face.

O0O

Tenten and Ino didn't have the heart to follow Sakura home. Instead, they made their presence known, and walked with her. The pink-haired girl seemed to forget to be mad at them for stalking her all morning. Her eyes were furious, and she hastily wiped at the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL AND BACK, OROCHIMARU!" she suddenly and very randomly screamed to the sky in the middle of the sidewalk on the way back. People stared. Tenten stared. Ino stared. Hanabi, as she once again passed by in her father's car, flicked a coke bottle cap at them. Tenten caught it and shouted a thank you after her as they drove away. Why did Hyuuga Hiashi and his youngest daughter always have to see Tenten at her worst times?

"Sakura," Ino prodded her in the ribs, and Sakura quieted down again.

"I _hate_ him," she kept cursing vehemently under her breath all the way back. "I _hate him_."

"Yes, we know, Sakura. You've already said so," said Tenten carefully.

"I want to chop Orochimaru up into little bits with Ino's meat cleaver and feed them one by one to _Sasuke-kun_," she sneered. "The nerve of him! _Sasuke-kun._ Stupid. Damned Uchiha prodigy."

"Prodigy?" said Ino.

"Ino has a meat cleaver?" said Tenten.

"Your mothers," said Sakura.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence, as attempts at conversation were not doing them any good. Any attempts to worm what was going on out of Sakura were failed, as she tried to bite them.

O0O

**A/N: xD That was a fun chapter to write.**


	5. Connections

**A/N: Wow. I think I'm on a roll! I'm updating so fast lol, even for my standards. Too bad I'm neglecting my Twilight fanfic…-runs away feeling guilty-  
Anyways, here's the chapter! **

**(Oh. P.S. If anybody has trouble understanding some of my twisted humor, then please don't hesitate to ask if something is confusing. I'll clear it up.)**

**-**

**Day 5**

**-**

"Sakura, who _is_ this Sasuke guy?" Ino prodded.

Sakura lay on her back on Ino's bunk, (much to Ino's dismay. She said that Sakura was making her sheets rumpled), ignoring Ino as she fiddled with her iPod. Tenten sighed and put down her book.

"Lay off of it, Ino."

"Why?" Ino said defiantly.

"Why? Because you're making my eardrums bleed. I want to read."

"That rhymed. Yippee," said Sakura dully. So she _could_ hear them through those earphones! Or ear pieces…Tenten shook her head. She had never owned an iPod, so she wouldn't know.

"Seriously, we could go and kick his-"

"Shut UP, Ino!" said Tenten and Sakura together.

"I've never heard you get defensive on my behalf," said Sakura as she sat up, her green eyes once again bright. Her voice was tinged with amusement as she watched Ino flush all the way up to her pale hairline. Ino shooed Sakura off of her bed, but Sakura wouldn't move. Ino told her to take off the boots. Sakura did. Tenten stared as they cooperated for pretty much the first time.

"It's…complicated," Sakura said finally after Ino prodded her some more, (both with words and with her finger in the ribcage).

"Aw, come on. You've got to give us more than that," Ino whined. Sakura glared at the blonde, and then glared at Tenten too for good measure, though she had not done anything. Tenten picked up her book again and tried to ignore them.

"See? Little Ten isn't butting into my personal business," she told Ino. Tenten sighed, and closed her book shut the second time with an expression of resignment.

"I am _not_ Little Ten."

"How 'bout Lil' Ten?"

"_No._"

Ino laughed thoughtfully at the furious scowl pasted on Tenten's usually calm face, (though it was looking agitated more and more the last few days she had spent in Sakura and Ino's company). "You need a really _cool_ nickname, Ugly. You're way drab if you don't have one."

Tenten didn't have the energy in her to shoot something witty back at Ino. Ino thought for a little while.

"What are you good at?" she asked finally.

Tenten sighed. "Not much."

"I saw the black belts in your trunk," said Sakura from the bed. Tenten opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again.

"You went through my trunk?" she said incredulously, heat rising into her cheeks. Wasn't this type of thing supposed to be illegal? What reason did Sakura have to look through _Tenten's_ trunk? Tenten was perfectly average. At the time that Tenten wanted to search _Sakura's_ trunk, she had believed her to be a potential illegal drug dealer. Was that so wrong?

Okay, so _maybe_ she deserved that lump swelling out the back of her head from the bat swing.

"What black belts?" said Ino curiously. "Could I try them on? I need one to go with my white tank top."

"You own something that's not pink?" said Sakura incredulously, as if somebody had announced that Austria was no longer going to make apple strudel. Tenten raised her eyebrows.

"You want to try on my black belts? You know, those are for martial arts."

"Oh. Ew. Sweat," said Ino, wrinkling the bridge of her nose. Tenten tried to mimic her, and failed. How did you move the skin on the _bridge_ of your nose? She shook her head.

"Ooh, how about Jackie?" said Ino.

"Jackie?"

"As in like Jackie Chan."

"In case you've forgotten, I'm a girl."

"The Mistress of Kung Fu Doom?"

"_No._"

"How about…Weapons Mistress?"

Tenten was about to say no again, but then she paused with her mouth wide open, and shut it again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Opening and shutting her mouth with nothing at all to say. And saying no.

"Hey, I kinda like that."

Ino beamed. Then she rounded on Sakura again, her ice blue eyes blazing fire. It was a rather interesting effect. Sakura ignored Ino completely, even though Tenten would probably have been frightened by the determined expression that Ino was wearing.

"Now, I am only going to ask this _one more time._ Who is Uchiha Sasuke?"

O0O

Tenten walked down the road, once again sipping a coffee. Well, not really coffee. She was sipping a brand of cappuccino that they mixed with milk. It was the brand that Hanabi's bottle cap had indicated. She decided that it was rather good, but a bit too creamy for her own tastes.

With the promise that she would tell Tenten and Ino who Uchiha Sasuke was if they waited until that night, Sakura had left the dorm. When questioned by Ino as to where she was going, she simply shrugged and said, "To clear my head."

As she walked down the street, she thought she heard somebody call her name. She shrugged it off. They called it again, and this time she turned.

A blonde boy with bright blue eyes, (though not quite as bright as Ino's. His were more of a cerulean. Tenten had actually looked the color up online with him as children), was running toward her, his hand raised and an unopened cup of ramen in his other hand.

"Oh. Hey, Naruto."

She and Naruto had been friends when they were kids, though he was an all-around reject and she was a year his senior. He was a happy kid to be around. They weren't all that close anymore, and she hadn't seen him for weeks.

"Tenten-chan, what are you doing here?" he huffed, as he stopped next to her, and pulled open the steaming ramen cup.

She shrugged. "Drinking coffee."

Naruto made a face. "You know, that stuff's bad for you. It stunts your growth."

"Oh, really?" she said in a flat tone, taking another sip. Naruto nodded, shaking his head in disapproval.

In truth, Tenten never had any really good friends in her life except Naruto, and another boy named Rock Lee. Both wore jumpsuits. Both were loud. Both were very, very unusual. Did this mean that Tenten was a freak?

"How's Lee?" she asked instead, shaking off the thought.

Naruto smiled from ear to ear. "Training. I think he's actually better than you now." Tenten rolled her eyes. That would have been impossible. "_And_, he's fallen in love," continued Naruto. Tenten spat out her coffee all over him. He blinked.

"Eh? Tenten-chan? You got coffee in my ramen."

"_Rock Lee_, our Rock Lee, is in _love_?!" She winced at the absurdity of the whole thing. The words "Rock Lee" and "love" did not belong in the same sentence. There were pretty much two things that Lee loved in life: training, and Maito Gai, Tenten and Lee's martial arts sensei.

"Yep," said Naruto happily. "He showed me her yesterday. She's pretty."

Tenten almost spat coffee again. Naruto did _not_ know the difference between a pretty girl and…well…Naruto just didn't get interested in pretty girls. Ever.

"You two like the same girl, don't you?" she said suspiciously from the way that his blue eyes were two bright.

Naruto shook his head too fast. Her suspicions were confirmed. They _did_ like the same girl! Too bad that neither of them were going to get her. Girls just didn't go out with Uzumaki Naruto or Rock Lee, the Green Beast.

"So you like the same girl. How'd you guys meet her?" said Tenten.

Naruto sighed. "By chance. She buys cinnamon buns for breakfast every day at a café down the street from here." He gestured vaguely. "It's next to the Starbucks. Lee and I go to watch her. She's _awfully_ pretty. Did you know that she has pink hair?"

_Yeah, sure,_ Tenten was about to say, but then she froze, and tried very, very hard not to spray Naruto with coffee once again.

"Did you just say…pink hair?"

"Yep," said Naruto cheerfully. "I don't think she even had to bleach it, either. Kinda funny, because it matches her name. Haruno Sakura," he said the name like it was even nicer to taste than his ramen. His eyes had stars in them. Tenten nudged him back to earth.

"Naruto," she said very, very slowly. "I know Sakura, and you can _not_ like her. And you have to talk Lee out of it too."

"Why?" Naruto whined.

"Because…well, she's not…_normal_," said Tenten slowly. "And…I get the feeling that she's already taken," she added on hastily, an image of Uchiha Sasuke popping into her head. "Yeah," she kept inventing wildly, "She has a boyfriend. A tough one. You don't want to cross him." Well, at least part of that was true.

"A…boyfriend?" said Naruto, pouting. "Who?"

"A guy named Uchiha."

Naruto's blue eyes widened dramatically. "Sasuke-teme?!"

Tenten _did_ spit coffee this time. Really, just how small could this world get? Everybodys she knew ended up knowing each other…this was just too weird. "How do you know him?" she demanded.

Naruto grimaced. "He's my rival."

Tenten choked. "Ah, well…maybe I might have exaggerated a little when I said that he was Sakura's boyfriend…"

"I don't think so," said Naruto, his teeth gritted. "Sasuke-teme _always_ gets whatever he wants, all easy. He's not getting my Sakura-chan too. See you, Tenten-chan. I've got some work to do." And he stormed off into the crowd. Tenten stood there, letting the crowd jostle her.

_Oh. My. God. Noooooo…_

O0O

Tenten called the Hyuuga Compound from a pay phone, and after that, dragged her feet as she walked over.

Hanabi answered the door this time, her wide white eyes seeming innocent and yet dark at the same time. Tenten followed her once again through the winding mazes of hallways and such, trying to memorize the way by herself.

"Hello?" she called softly into the room after Hanabi had left.

"Hn."

She walked in and sat on the same couch as on the other day. Neji didn't look much different, though his white shirt and black pants were different from the other days. He had changed his clothes. She smiled slightly at him, and he stared back at her, not really moving at all. She wished she could stare like that.

"So…how are you?" she said meekly. The words didn't really seem like the right ones. "How are you" could mean, "are you mentally stable today" in this kind of situation. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You believe that I am insane," he stated without a hint of awkwardness.

"No, not exactly," said Tenten quickly.

"Do not lie. You believe that I am strange. You are uncomfortable being in the same room as I am." He turned back to the window, which was still blinded just like yesterday. His white eyes were narrowed, suppressing some inner fury, though his voice was cool.

"The head family put this on me," he growled.

"The…head family?"

"My uncle Hiashi, and his daughters," he said, his tone betraying some bitterness.

"Oh," said Tenten, curious but not wanting to pry. "You mean Hinata and Hanabi? Did Hinata come by again today?" She wasn't really sure why she was even asking. Perhaps just to make conversation. Or because she was interested in the timid girl from yesterday. In a way, she reminded Tenten of her weaker inner self.

Neji abruptly stood. "Do not speak to me about Hinata."

Tenten was surprised, and she stood too, not liking being shorter than Neji. "Why? I thought that you guys were cousins. She seemed pretty nice." _Or just overly polite._

"You would not say so if you were forced to marry her," Neji spat.

_Woah, wait. Marry?!_

What she did say was, "Well, I certainly wouldn't be happy to marry Hinata, because unlike you, I'm a girl." She paused. "I'm also not completely sure whether _you're_ not a girl, but anyways." Another pause. "Isn't she your cousin?"

"Yes. Hiashi wishes for a pure blood line," Neji's face was cold again.

Tenten didn't really have anything to say to that. She hadn't ever met anybody with an arranged marriage before. The Hyuuga household was unlike anything that she had ever seen in her life. It seemed to still be living in some ancient era, instead of in the modern world. She scuffed her toe on the ground.

"Can't you get out of it?" she finally asked.

Neji glared at her, and sat back down. Tenten sat too. "I cannot. I would not dishonor the Hyuuga clan, even if it be the head family."

"But…won't you be sad?" Tenten asked, knowing that it would probably make little difference to Hyuuga Neji whom he married. "Wouldn't _Hinata_ be sad?"

"That does not matter," Neji said stiffly.

"Why? Isn't happiness the most important thing for all marriages?" Tenten winced. She shouldn't talk about that. Her parents had hardly been very happy together.

"My own father…" Neji stopped himself and shook his head. "It is nothing."

Tenten was rather sure that it wasn't "nothing", but she didn't prod. She nodded. She hadn't even realized that she had been talking to Neji about all the things that bothered him, (he would never admit that these things bothered him, but Tenten could tell. She could always tell when people were bothered). She was doing her job, and he probably thought she was only asking him these questions because she was being paid. Not because she actually cared.

Did she care? Tenten barely knew Neji. But she couldn't stand the idea of marrying somebody without some type of love there. Neji obviously detested Hinata. Hinata was afraid of Neji. Wasn't there something that she could _do_ about this? It didn't really matter how well she knew them. She was saddened by this whole thing. And they were _cousins_, for heaven's sake…

And when Hiashi came to get her that night, she looked at him with a whole new perspective. What kind of man could force his own daughter to marry her cousin which she did not love?

O0O

**A/N: Okay, I thought it would be interesting to approach the whole Hinata-marries-Neji thing in a modern perspective. In the ninja-Naruto world, it might not have seemed so unusual, but right now, it would have been something that people thought was not right…right?**


	6. The Addiction

**A/N: Yeah, I had the last chapter saved on my computer all complete for a few days and I totally forgot about it. And school started again. So those are my excuses. **

**This chapter should be rather interesting…**

**Choco chip protein bars taste funny and break your jaw. No kidding. And I think you could think of the chapter starts, "day 6" for example, as the days that Tenten is working or is making some kind of improvement with her relationships. Does that make sense at ALL?**

**--**

**Day 6**

**--**

The next day, even though she no longer had to, Tenten went out early in the morning and walked directly to the Hyuuga Compound to visit Neji.

She didn't know what possessed her to do it: she no longer was being paid for it, and Neji was hardly good company. Hanabi and Hinata, she barely knew, though they both seemed reasonably nice. Nicer than Ino and Sakura were being to her.

Naruto and Lee had not made any further visits to her recently, though they took up most of her thoughts while she had spare time. She worried about the drastic measures they took: both took their personal prides so seriously that it was almost exasperating. Naruto would be sure to go overboard and do something he would regret. She shook her head as she knocked on the Compound's doorway.

To her surprise, Hinata opened the door, her lovely pale eyes shy and downcast. She looked almost afraid of anybody that would talk to her. Tenten tried a small smile, and timidly, Hinata smiled back.

"H-Hello…Tenten-san?" she questioned. Tenten nodded, and stepped inside, pushing off her Nikes with her feet. Hinata was wearing a pair of plaid slippers, her fingers twiddling so fast it looked like they had the twitches. Tenten followed her through the numerous hallways. Hinata remained silent, so Tenten attempted to strike up a conversation.

"So you're his cousin?" She didn't know what to call Neji. If she referred to him as Hyuuga-san, that could refer to really anybody that lived there.

Hinata flinched, and nodded shyly, not meeting Tenten's eyes. "H-Hai. Hiashi-sama is m-my father."

"Oh. He seemed…nice," Tenten muttered, trying for the right words.

Hinata smiled slightly. She had a sweet smile that reached her eyes, though it never showed her teeth. Her fingers had stopped twitching. "Hiashi-sama c-can seem strict at t-times, but h-he can also b-be kind." Tenten didn't know what it was about her tone, but it sounded like Hinata was attempting to lie through her teeth about the part on being kind. Tenten had not at any time thought that Hiashi seemed like a kind person.

"Where's your room?" she inquired.

Hinata made a little shrugging motion. "Oh, it's n-not on this side of the b-building. Neji-nii-san is a b-branch member, and I am a m-main member, so I sleep on the other s-side." For some reason, she sounded almost ashamed of this fact. "I d-don't see him often," she murmured quietly.

"He said that you're…getting married."

Hinata's head seemed to droop minimally. "W-We are."

"Oh." Tenten chided herself for not being able to come up with a better response. "…Congratulations." It came out sounding like a question.

"T-Thank you." She didn't sound like she meant it. "W-Where do you l-live, Tenten-san? I am sure that y-your home must be b-beautiful," Hinata said. She sounded like she actually meant this one. "Our h-home is very t-traditional. Sometimes I f-feel a bit tired of it." She laughed lightly, which sounded like bells. It fit her character perfectly.

"Oh, I'm staying at a boarding house for the summer because my mom went on vacation," Tenten explained quickly. "If you want to reach me anytime, you know, that's where you can call me or anything. I'm not going to be home for another few weeks or so."

"R-Really?" Hinata's eyes were wide with surprise. "Your parents a-allow you to s-stay on your own h-here?"

"Well, just my mom, really," Tenten said quietly. "But I did have to argue a bit to get my way."

"I'm s-sorry," Hinata caught on quickly.

"No, it's okay. My dad left a long time ago," Tenten explained. They had arrived at Neji's door. Hinata looked awkward, not sure whether or not she wanted to leave. Tenten shrugged.

"You can come in with me, if you want," she suggested, feeling rude inviting somebody into a room in their own home. Hinata looked like she didn't mind, however.

"Oh. A-Alright."

The two girls entered the room, and quietly made their way over to the dreaded sofa. They sat stiffly on either end, both avoiding each other's eye. Tenten curled and uncurled her fingers. Neji ignored them both.

"Hyuuga-san…?" Tenten prompted at last.

"Do not call me that," Neji said coldly, turning to face them.

"F-Forgive my intrusion, N-Neji-nii-san," Hinata murmured, inclining her head politely. Tenten stared. They were _cousins_, for Heaven's sake, and Hinata was treating Neji like he was a king, or something.

"Hn."

"Well…if you're not Hyuuga-san, then who are you?" Tenten asked, slightly annoyed. If he asked her to call him Hyuuga-sama, then she was going to snap and pick up that vase by his head and bash out his brains.

Neji shrugged, indifferent. "Anything else."

Tenten cocked her head at him. "Is it alright if I call you Neji-kun, then?" It sounded much more natural on her tongue. She found that she liked how it sounded. Almost cute. Pretty much normal. Neji's eyes narrowed a moment before he nodded.

Silence abounded. Tenten was beginning to wonder why she had ever bothered to come here, before an idea hit her when she once again turned to glance at Hinata's lonely, nervous countenance.

"Hey…I have an idea," she said slowly.

Both Hinata and Neji raised their heads slightly at her.

"You know, if you want, you could come and stay with me for a little while," she told Hinata. "I know that you actually, well, _live_ here and everything…but your father said that you trained in martial arts." Hinata nodded, not catching on. "Well, I do too," Tenten continued, "And I know that it's way better to have a sparring partner your own age. If Hiashi-san will allow it, I could help you out."

Hinata's face brightened considerably. She didn't make much of a secret, her dislike of this Compound. Neji's eyebrows raised ever so slightly at this idea.

"She will have to pay rent," he said stonily. "She could train with you, but stay here. Why waste money?" 

"Don't worry, I'll work something out with the owners," Tenten shot back at Neji. "I think it would be nice for Hinata-san to stay with somebody other than her family for a while." She glanced at Hinata. Hinata nodded at her cousin.

"It w-would be a n-nice change," she murmured.

"Like a long-term sleepover, kind-of," Tenten said slowly, laughing a little. If she could help Hinata become somebody who her father could love just as much as her little sister, then she would feel just a bit better about herself. Besides, Hinata could use the vacation from her father, though she would never admit that this was one of the primary reasons why she was taking her away.

"I can also help make you a little more confident," Tenten said decidedly to Hinata. Hinata's eyes widened. "I swear, when she's back, Hinata will be a whole new woman," Tenten told Neji like he would care.

Neji eyed them both, and then seemed to decide that he really didn't care about what happened to either of them. He turned back to his window, and Tenten and Hinata left to go and see Hyuuga Hiashi.

O0O

"Spill."

Ino and Tenten sat staring at Sakura. Hinata was awkwardly sitting off to the side, eyeing them apprehensively. Getting Hiashi's permission had been easier than Tenten had expected: he seemed a little too eager to get Hinata off of his hands for the summer. He had coughed up the bills necessary for the stay, without asking many questions.

"Do I _really_ have to tell you who he is?" Sakura whined. It was dark outside, but cozy in the room. Ino was basically ignoring Hinata. She found her boring and too quiet, Hinata was scared of Ino and Sakura both. This left Tenten, once again, in a rather awkward position.

"Yes," said Ino and Tenten in unison. Sakura grimaced.

"I don't really know where to start," she admitted at last. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Where else? At the beginning."

Sakura rolled her eyes right back, though she carried it off in a much different manner. She absently pulled her pink hair back into a ponytail under the jaunty baseball cap perched on her head.

"Fine. But it's a very, very long story."

Ino smirked. Tenten laughed. Hinata smiled slightly, more than slightly confused as to why Ino and Tenten wanted so badly to know who this "Uchiha Sasuke" was.

"We're listening," said Ino.

O0O

"I met him when we were really young, maybe only seven or eight years old. He went to my elementary school, but that wasn't around here. You wouldn't know it. Anyways, he was the top student in my class, but a bit of a social reject. Everybody wanted to be his friend, but he gave them all the cold shoulder." Sakura laughed at some memory that the others couldn't see.

"At first, I was really shy around him. I would turn red whenever he passed my desk, and I avoided him. The other kids were mostly afraid, though I was mainly embarrassed. Naturally, I thought that he was some kind of stuck up jerk." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course, that prediction turned out to be true, as you guys witnessed. Well, this is one of those love-hate stories, so brace yourselves."

"Two years after I met him, when we were in the fourth grade, I developed a…crush on him, so to speak," Sakura said, rolling her eyes again. She obviously didn't think much of her fourth grade self's judgment. "It wasn't anything new by then: more than half the class had crushes on the legendary Uchiha Sasuke, who had by then managed straight A's for the past two years. Or so the rumors went. Nobody else had been able to do that for _years_."

"The fan girls piled up, and I was just one of many. I'm not sure he even knew who I was." She paused. "That's when the whole tomato-gift thing came in. It's a bit of a joke. I decided to give him a bag of them, since that's what his favorite food was, and he threw it back into my face." Sakura laughed. "So that's why I decided to bring him a bag of tomatoes. It's like saying that I'm furious at him, in a sort-of ironic way. You'd have to be there to understand." She shook her head.

"Anyway, I got put in the same study group as him that year. Our class was divided into advanced, average, and below average, and I was pretty bright, if I do say so myself." She flipped back her hair, and Ino rolled her eyes this time. "I was one of the top students in the class, second only to _him._ There were a few other kids in our group, but by now their names escape me."

"I fawned over him like he was some kind of god. He ignored me completely, and one he did say something to me, it was to inform me of how unbelievably annoying I was. At least I was sure he knew of my existence by then."

"We weren't in the same class again, and then we went to separate middle schools. His memory faded somewhat in my head. I made new friends, got a few minor crushes, you know. But I never quite forgot about him. Uchiha Sasuke's not a person that you easily forget."

"He transferred into my high school in the middle of freshman year. Needless to say, most of the girls in my class nearly had a mental breakdown when he walked in. Apparently, everybody thinks that he's only gotten more good-looking. And of course, there's the famous earring." Sakura tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, revealing the same hoop with the shark tooth that Sasuke had in his earlobe.

"He got more requests for dates than any other guy in our year. I mostly ignored him. He wasn't exactly my best friend in elementary, and I had decided that I had been stupid to be so fond of him in elementary. He was a bastard, and that was that."

"Then Orochimaru came along." Sakura's green eyes narrowed. Ino and Tenten sat closer, and Hinata's white eyes widened. Here came the good part; they sensed it.

"More than anything, Uchiha Sasuke wants power. His father is the head of a very successful car business, and he had some big shoes to fill. His older brother Itachi was even more successful than he already was, and secretly, I think he was jealous. Well, Orochimaru was a drug dealer." She looked straight into Tenten's wide eyes. "A real one."

"Orochimaru offered him a deal, after catching him alone outside of the school one day. He would share his profit with him, (Orochimaru's profit was rather considerable), if he worked for him secretly. Orochimaru needed the help, as the police were almost onto him, and who better to use as an accomplice than the baby Uchiha himself? So Sasuke entered into the drug business. He did some dirty deals, and got in way too deep." Sakura paused, and took a deep breath.

"With the money, I have no idea what he was doing, only that his father took much more notice of his younger son, and began boasting about him almost as much as Itachi after several months had passed. His mother was probably the only one that noticed."

"One day, I was walking home from school with a couple of other girls that I didn't know too well from my fourth period language arts class. I wanted to take the shortcut through an alley, but they were too scared, so I went myself. I think they're still mad at me for that." She chuckled.

"Orochimaru and all of his lackeys were there, dealing out their dirty money. I was scared like Hell when they saw me, but I guess _he_ must have recognized me, because I'm still here right now without any holes in me." She sighed, unwilling to call Sasuke by his proper name. It was obvious she was still mad at him.

"It went pretty much downhill from there. They took me into a laundry woman's room in the side of the alley, whom they were paying to keep her mouth shut and to use her space. They tied me to a chair. Gagged me." Sakura took a deep breath, her hands shaking.

"I think that the only reason that I'm not either dead, or might as well be dead, is that he vouched for me. The Uchiha, that is. He stared at me for what seemed like a day, and then he told Orochimaru, 'Let her go'. Orochimaru and him had a stare down for what seemed like another day, and then he hissed for me to be untied. They kept a hold on me, though, and he repeated it: 'Let her go.'"

"They did. They shoved me back out into the alley. I was shaking so hard that I could barely make it home. Once I did, I almost called 911. I don't know how or why I made myself stop dialing, but I did. I owed that Uchiha one for saving my life. I couldn't just get him arrested like that. It sucked, but it was the truth."

"The next day at school, he acted as if nothing at all had happened. I knew that he knew who I was, that little girl from his table at fourth grade, and that he had saved my life. He ignored me completely."

"I couldn't take it anymore after school. I confronted him about the whole thing. Much as I seethed, I forced myself to thank him. I had to. He looked all amused at me, like I was a freak, and then he told me to get lost."

"I punched him."

"You _what_?" Ino cut in, though nobody in the room found the fact that Sakura would hit somebody she was mad at that hard to believe. Hinata's opal eyes were wide with amazement, her hands clasped tightly together. Tenten had no difficulty at all believing that Hinata had never hit anybody in her life, except perhaps in martial arts training. Briefly, she wondered why such a timid girl would want to learn martial arts. Perhaps for self defense…? The curious thought drifted out of her head.

"I punched him," Sakura continued calmly, a hint of a smile on her lips. "But unlike the time where you guys so _obviously_ followed me, he actually fought back. I'm pretty scarily strong when I want to be. In the end, he managed to clamp his hand on my mouth, because I was screaming at him, and I was causing a scene."

"He took me aside, though I fought against it," she noted bitterly, "And explained about the whole Orochimaru-drug-deal thing. I couldn't believe that he would be so stupid as to do something like that. Wouldn't his father be disappointed rather than proud of him if he found out? He completely ignored all of my accusations."

"And…the next day, he was gone. Vanished. He wasn't at school, and when I looked up his address, he wasn't at his house either. His parents were frantic with worry. Itachi didn't give a damn." She laughed, though there was nothing funny about the sound. Her eyes were like cold chips of emerald ice.

"I was confused and angry for the next half year. The school year ended, and I brooded all summer on his sudden disappearance. It was probably because of me that he left. The thought bothered me for a long time."

"This is the part that you know. A few days ago, a classmate of mine called to let me know that Uchiha Sasuke was back. Still, nobody had any inkling as to what he had left for in the first place. The first thing I did was that I went to the grocery store and got the tomatoes. And then…you know the rest."

Ino let out a breath. "Wow. That's…harsh."

Sakura sighed, and blew a strand of pink hair away from her face. Her expression was frustrated and angry, and it made her skin turn pale, and a few usually nonexistent freckles to appear on her skin. "Tell me about it. I'm not done with him yet." Her eyes glinted. Tenten shivered at the expression in them.

"You sure you're okay?" Ino asked doubtfully. Hinata was looking back and forth between the three of them in concern.

"I'm perfectly fine. What are you talking about?" Sakura said, surprised.

"I mean…why were you so mad when he left? Wouldn't it be better if he were just out of your life, since you disliked him so much? Why would you care if he got mixed up in all the drug stuff? He's not even your friend."

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, and then paused. "I really don't know. Some part of me has always wanted to look out for his wellbeing. It's obvious that he doesn't give a damn about how I'm doing."

Ino's blue eyes glinted with mischief. "You still love him, don't you?"

"No, I do not," Sakura said coldly, standing up and dusting herself off. "If you ever, _ever_ say something like that again, then I will wring your neck quite happily. I have never loved Uchiha Sasuke, and I don't believe that I ever will."

"Someone's in denial," Ino smirked.

"Shut up, pig."

"Forehead-girl."

"Shut _up!_"

Tenten and Hinata exchanged a look. Tenten smiled in an exasperated way, rolling her eyes towards Ino and Sakura's bickering. Hinata smiled slightly, nervously, unsure of herself. Tenten smiled back wider, and went to sit by her.

"Don't worry. You get used to it," she motioned at the other girls.

Hinata gave one wide-eyed look at Tenten, then at Sakura and Ino, and then nodded like she hoped very much that she was dreaming.

**A/N: Mainly Sakura and Sasuke's history in this one. I hope it surprised you somewhat, lol. Please read and review!**


	7. Hidden Kisses

**A/N: Sorry if my chapters come in late, blame it on school starting again lol xD. Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm having fun writing this because it's really different from the stuff that I've done before, so I'm glad that it's at least somewhat readable…**

**Since the plot is so…layered, for lack of a better word….Naruto and Hinata's meeting will happen soon, but everything takes a while to develop.**

**--**

**Day 7 **

**--**

The next morning dawned, and everything seemed different.

Tenten wasn't really sure if she was imagining it or not, but Ino and Sakura seemed to have reached an invisible truce. Even Hinata was looking a little more at ease. Sakura's storytelling the night before had worked some kind of amazing magic on all of them. Ino actually smiled at Hinata, and the Hyuuga heiress smiled timidly back.

Granted, they were probably all in higher spirits that day because nobody had anything to do. It was finally a Saturday. Hinata did not have to train with Tenten, Tenten didn't have to go to her job, and the shopping malls were all open for their longest hours today. Ino wanted to find a summer job.

They amiably took turns sharing the bathroom that morning, which had not happened before. They pulled on clothes that were a little more dressy than usual. Tenten grabbed a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of denim shorts, which she considered pretty nice, but Ino eyed with disapproval. The blonde had picked out a hot pink cotton dress with silver butterflies in one corner.

They were about to proceed out of the door and go their separate ways when Shikamaru ambled into the room. Ino squealed. "Shika! You're supposed to knock!" she said sternly, though this was in vain as she ran to hug him almost immediately. He was carrying a single yellow rose.

"For me?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, handing it off. She beamed and sniffed it.

"Why not a red one?" she asked.

"I haven't been your friend for life without learning anything about flowers," Shikamaru drawled. "Red roses are for love. Yellow for friendship, am I right?"

Ino scowled, though her small features still managed to look perfectly presentable. Shikamaru pretended that he didn't notice how Ino's blue eyes had lost some of their sparkle as she sniffed the rose again for something to do. Sakura and Hinata had tactfully turned their backs and were pretending to search for something in their trunks. Tenten stared baldly.

"Well, I hope you like it," Shikamaru finally said, and fled out of the door.

O0O

Tenten called up Naruto and Lee on the room's phone once Ino and Sakura had left. Hinata hovered nervously, not quite sure what to do with herself.

"Hey guys. Today's one of my days off," Tenten said cheerfully. "Want to go skateboarding or something?"

Naruto said he was free, and that he would call Lee for her. She hung up, and turned to Hinata, sizing her up skeptically, a bit nervous. "Er…Hinata-san? My friends Naruto and Lee are going with me for a skateboarding day. Would you…like to come?" she asked uncertainly. Hinata seemed like a person who would kill herself on a skateboard. Tenten was reluctant to bring her along. Lee and Naruto could scare people off.

Instead, Hinata's features lit up. Her usually pale skin lit up with color, her pale eyes sparkling like diamonds. It was obvious that she didn't get invited to many events that were actually fun. "I w-would love to c-come, if that's really a-alright," she stuttered, her eyes downcast again as she reclaimed her shy shell.

Tenten smiled and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the room and down the steps in answer.

O0O

Lee was already at the half pipe once she got there, but Lee would be Lee. He was early to everything. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she was absolutely certain that Maito Gai would not jump out from behind a bush or something like that. Her martial arts teacher would frighten Hinata so much that she might actually faint.

"Tenten-san, my Flower of Youth!" Lee yelled at the top of his lungs as they approached. Tenten shrank as all of the other skateboarders turned to stare at them.

"Er…hi, Lee," she said meekly.

"Who is this?" Lee cried in absolute delight at the sight of Hinata, who was also trying to shrink, though for different reasons. The exuberant, loud Lee was a little too much for her. She tried a smile, and it looked more like a grimace.

"I'm Hyuuga H-Hinata," she stammered. Should she hold out her hand? "I'm…pleased to m-meet you, Lee-san."

Lee embarrassingly leaned down to kiss Hinata's hand. Tenten wanted to sink into the ground. Hinata probably thought that Tenten and her friends were all this freakish. Well. Maybe they were. But still! At least Naruto was a _little_ more normal.

She and Lee played with their boards while Hinata sat and watched, declining profusely when Lee offered to let her use his own board. Naruto was always late, so it was no surprise when the blonde jogged up to them with skateboard under his arm, grinning his goofy grin half an hour later.

Hinata had been looking at her shoes, fiddling with her laces, but then she looked up, and her white eyes widened, and her face flushed faintly pink.

Tenten immediately noticed this reaction, and looked back and forth between Hinata and Naruto as Naruto and Lee did their "secret handshake". Hinata…was _blushing…_because of _Naruto?!_

No girl had _ever_ given Naruto the benefit of the doubt when it came to dating. He had asked out many, and been rejected every time. He never took it personally, though. And now Hinata was blushing at the sight of him. Tenten had no idea what to make of this one. She was utterly and completely at a loss of what a shy, timid and soft-spoken girl like Hinata could possibly see in the loudmouthed, pea brained and eccentric Naruto.

Then again, Tenten realized, as she reassessed her blonde friend, Naruto _was_ sort of good-looking. She didn't know why she hadn't realized it before. His eyes were the perfect shade of blue, (cerulean, of course), and twinkled with a happy light. His smile was wide. He had tanned skin naturally, without having to go to the beach really at all, and his hair was blonde and stuck up naturally without gel, in a sort of nice way. To put it the old fashioned way, they didn't make them like Naruto anymore. Not that happy.

"Hey!" Naruto said when he finally noticed Hinata, obviously surprised. He scratched the back of his head, blinking owlishly, and then all of a sudden swooping down to sit by her. He pumped her hand energetically.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm sure Tenten's told you all about me by now, if you're her friend." He grinned cheekily. Hinata was growing redder and redder, her face frozen in an expression of social claustrophobia.

"I…I'm…" she stuttered. Naruto waited patiently for a response.

"This is Hyuuga Hinata," Tenten stepped in to clarify. Hinata gave her a grateful look. "She's from over at the Hyuuga Compound where I'm giving her cousin 'therapy'. She's staying in my dorm for a while."

Naruto laughed, and rubbed the back of his head again, shaking his head at Hinata. "Well, I'm wishing you good luck, because Tenten is a handful." Tenten slammed Naruto's helmet on over his head way too hard, and he made a squeaking sound. She smiled cheerily at Hinata while Naruto struggled beneath her death grip. Lee was oblivious to it all, now doing some slow flexible stretching.

"I hope you don't mind him, he's a little…" Tenten rolled her eyes, and wiggled her eyebrows. Hinata's face cracked into a warm smile. It complimented her pale features very nicely. Tenten relinquished Naruto, who scowled at her.

"Thanks a lot," he muttered. He winked at Hinata a second later, however, and smoothed back his blonde hair a little, though however many times he did it, it always stuck straight back up again. "See what I mean?" he pointed at Tenten.

Hinata looked back and forth between Naruto and Tenten, not really sure who to agree with. She shrugged helplessly, and glanced over at Lee, who was walking like an Egyptian.

Tenten took the chance to sit down in between Naruto and Hinata. She was suddenly feeling troubled. If Hinata, timid Hinata, had a crush on Naruto, who was always oblivious to all obvious things, what could it end up as? Naruto was one of her best friends and Hinata….Tenten was already growing attached to her. She couldn't stand to see her get hurt. As nice as Naruto was, he had no idea how to handle himself around real _girls_. He had grown up with Tenten. Besides, Tenten was hardly the best example for him to work with, she thought wryly.

And maybe, she admitted to herself, she was a little jealous. If Hinata and Naruto did, by work of some miracle, end up falling in love with each other, then where did that leave her? With Rock Lee? Was life really this unfair? If she still hung out with them, it would be like being a third wheel. Or fourth wheel, if you counted Rock Lee.

Then there was the matter of a certain pink-haired beauty, by name of Haruno Sakura. None of Naruto's little crushes ever lasted that long. She prayed that this one would be the same. What would Hinata think if she knew?

This whole thing made Tenten suddenly conscious of her own self in a way that she had never been before. _Why is it that no guy has ever liked _me

Guys just didn't _like_-like Tenten. They liked girly cheerleaders, perhaps somebody like Ino, or someone like Sakura. Perhaps even Yumi had a line of dates waiting for her. She scowled. Was she really that ugly? Or maybe she was born defective in some way?

She had never worried about this kind of thing before in her life. Maybe once or twice in grade school, but that was ages ago. She had been perfectly content to hang out with Naruto and Lee, and play soccer and go skateboarding with whoever wanted to go with her.

But her imagination was getting out of hand.

Hinata pulled her sleeve anxiously. "Tenten-san?"

"Tenten-chan?" said Naruto.

Tenten shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Oh. Yeah? Did I miss something? Sorry…" she laughed it off.

Naruto rolled his eyes. Hinata peered more carefully at her friend's odd expression, her pale eyes slightly concerned. Tenten felt her heart warm at this gesture. Hinata barely knew her, and yet she trusted her enough to stay in the same room with her while she trained her in martial arts, and she was acting friendly too. Maybe it was just too deeply imbedded in her nature _not_ to be friendly to somebody.

"I'm fine," she told Hinata earnestly. The raven-haired Hyuuga heiress eyed her, a hint of doubt in her expression, but let it go. Her cheeks were constantly pink. Her fingers squeezed Tenten's, and they were red hot. Tenten smiled to herself. Hinata was really embarrassed around Naruto.

"We were asking if you'd like to go get ramen after we're done skating," Naruto prompted eagerly.

Tenten considered, letting the question sink in, and then slowly shook her head, sighing regretfully. "Sorry. Can't. On a budget." She stood, and donned her helmet. Hinata looked half disappointed and half relieved.

"But you guys can go without me if you want," she suggested, glancing between both of them, more in the mood to be a Cupid than a destroyer of happiness. Tenten would rather see her two friends, one old and one new, make an attempt at love than be the one to single handedly destroy their chances.

"A-Alright, if you're s-sure," Hinata stuttered, and stood.

"I'll take you now," Naruto said. "Ichiraku's ramen is the best in town! Tenten-chan, you don't mind skating with Bushy-brow, do you?"

Tenten sighed and pretended to roll her eyes in annoyance. "You're going to pay me later for this."

"Five dollars," said Naruto.

"Seven."

"Six."

"Sounds good."

Naruto smiled. Tenten noticed that it was a bit lopsided: only one dimple. Kind of childish, but it made his face seem more angular, and the whisker marks more rugged. It made him look…_handsome._

Tenten blinked at this new realization just as Hinata blushed an even deeper shade of scarlet at this smile. The two walked off down the sidewalk. Tenten watched their retreating backs until they turned a corner, unable to wrench her eyes away.

Two of her best friends were having the time of their lives, and she was feeling dejected and lonely. What the Hell was wrong with her?

"Tenten-san?" said Lee. "Are you ready to see my new move?"

"Sure, Lee," Tenten sighed, turning.

"YOSH! BEHOLD! THE NEW 'FLOWER OF YOUTH' FLIP TURN!"

"LEE! NO! DON'T TRY THAT!"

Too late. Splat.

Emergency sirens were heard coming to the half pipe soon after.

O0O

"Oh my God, Lee, you are such an idiot," Tenten groaned.

She was sitting by Lee's bed in the hospital. After confirmation that he was not hurt much beyond a broken leg and a huge bruise over his left eye, she had been allowed in to see him. They were keeping him there for the day, just in case, and then he could go home.

"Tenten-san, was it good?" he said eagerly. Even though his voice sounded raspy, it was still easy to determine that he was excited.

"What was good?" she said warily.

"The flip!"

"Lee, you're in a hospital. Doesn't that sum up whether or not the flip turned out well?"

"But was it good before I splatted?"

"Is splatted a word?" she said doubtfully, eyeing the Webster's dictionary that a doctor had set on Lee's bedside table.

This was what she hated about having only guys as your best friends. They had no common sense at all. On the other hand, they were good mechanics when her mom's car broke down.

Lee dozed after a while of idle conversation. Tenten stared out of the brightly curtained hospital window, her eyesight distracted by the vase of artificial sunflowers that took up the lower half of the glass. Outside, the sun was almost blinding, though the main road was visible.

She sighed, put her head in her hands, rubbed her eyes. Then she opened them again, and stared at Lee's closed eyes. He looked very peaceful. She got up to leave.

Once outside, she was left alone with her thoughts. Hinata had a crush on Naruto, Naruto liked Sakura, who had a strange relation with Naruto's rival Sasuke. Ino was angry at Shikamaru for being with somebody named Temari. Hanabi collected bottle caps. Neji was getting _married_ to Hinata. Her mother was out having the time of her life, probably looking for sunscreen. Lee was in the hospital. Ino and Sakura had still not told why they had come to the boarding house in the first place. Neji still needed more therapy on Monday.

Tenten groaned and stuck her hands in her pockets.

Sometimes, ordinary life could seem like a soap opera in itself.

O0O

She opened the door to the dormitory, and was surprised to see that Naruto and Hinata were there already. They looked up when she entered, surprise written all over their faces too.

"Oh, hey Tenten-chan. I was just about to show Hinata-chan how to play Scrabble."

He pointed at the board, where random letter pieces were scattered. Tenten nodded. She might have said something about this: something like the fact that they were using her own board of scrabble. And the fact that Hinata had never played scrabble before was surprising. She might have teased them about how close they were sitting .But instead, she just said, "Okay." She sat on her bed, taking off her Nikes and kicking them casually under the bed to watch them play.

Naruto had a remarkably patient teaching style for somebody who was usually so hyperactive. His voice was slow and pleasant, and a bit deeper than it usually was when he talked so fast in ordinary conversation. His tanned hands pointed out the rules of the game. His cerulean eyes were soft, and his blonde hair fell into his eyes. He brushed it back occasionally.

Hinata was a good learner, too. Her pale eyes were wide, though Tenten had long learned that this was one of her usual expressions. Her mouth was pursed slightly in concentration. Her raven hair fell around her face to frame it elegantly. The shortness in the back seemed to suit her well now. Her own pale fingers contrasted sharply with Naruto's over the board as she imitated him as he pointed things out.

The tops of their heads were almost touching, as they were both leaning intently over the board, their eyes on the game. They were so close that, if by chance either or both of them lifted their heads, their faces would be less than a few inches apart. Close enough to kiss.

Tenten drew in a sharp breath, and her reverie of observation was broken. Naruto turned to look at her curiously, the usual boyish expression on his face, and the different Naruto that she had been seeing a moment ago was altogether gone except for the trace of gentleness in his blue eyes. Hinata was the startled, timid girl again, hopelessly out of place among the louder Tenten, Ino, and Sakura.

"What?" said Naruto, sounding slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"Ah…nothing," Tenten muttered, rolling over onto her back to stare at the slats in her bunk. Naruto sighed in annoyance.

"Well, then don't say anything," he said, as this was something that Tenten was fond of saying to him. Hinata giggled slightly.

Tenten felt confused, lost, and like hitting something might help it go away.

O0O

Haruno Sakura dodged through the dark streets at night outside, not really caring at the moment whether Tenten or Ino were worried about her. She had forgotten the new girl's name again.

She knew it was dangerous for her to be out alone this late at dark. She should have at least asked Tenten to come too, or something. She didn't know anything about self defense, only knew how to throw a really hard punch. She supposed that would have to be good enough.

She came to the door with the Uchiha crest on it, and she walked up the porch steps, knocked on the door. Sucked in a deep breath. The doorknob was turning. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. She tried to silence it a little, and failed.

His silhouette appeared against the black awning where the door had been.

Had he grown taller?

She gulped as he took a step forward onto the porch. She took a step back. She realized that his lips were twisted into a smirk, the familiar one of the Sasuke she had known in fourth grade, when the moon managed to hit him with a beam of light. It made his skin turn an ivory silvery white, and his ebony hair contrasted all the more with it.

After all, he had always been beautiful.

"Sakura." He sounded like he had been expecting her.

"Hi," she said curtly.

His smirk grew wider, and he made a small "hn" sound. "Come to apologize to your dear _Sasuke-kun_, hm?"

"In your _dreams_, Uchiha brat," she spat at his feet, her eyes flaring venom. "I'll never forgive you for leaving. Do you know what kind of torment that put me through at night? I couldn't sleep for weeks. I hate you."

"You thought of me, did you?" he said, his voice amused. She hated how he could twist words so easily.

"Rest assured, you only visited in my nightmares."

"Did you come only to rant about your petty hate?" he drawled, leaning against the doorframe.

"No." She paused, almost as if she were steeling herself for something. Sasuke's eyebrows raised, intrigued.

"I want to know why you left," she said slowly, and for the first time, a slight note of pleading broke into her voice. She raised up her defenses in a minute. "And if you're still doing deals with Orochimaru."

"It is none of your affair."

"It is!"

"I went nowhere important. And I broke it off with Orochimaru. I assume you are happy now?"

"Yes. Very much so," she spat back.

"Sakura…" he murmured in a tone that sounded almost tender. He touched the back of her hand. She drew it away so sharply that it looked like she had been burned.

"Don't," she hissed.

"I thought of you too," he finished.

Sakura sighed, and shook her head. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I am forgiven?" said Sasuke, looking amused again.

"Nowhere near," Sakura said, seething again. Then she softened slightly. "But I guess I owe you an apology, too, for barging in like this."

"You should leave."

She turned to go, but he said one more thing to stop her in her tracks.

"Sakura…I hate being called Uchiha by you."

She turned, an odd expression on her face. She took a few steps towards him, and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. His arms held her to him crushingly tight, almost immediately. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured into the fabric of his sleeve. He pressed the hoop earring in her left ear between his lips for a moment, and brushed his lips against her ear.

"I have to go," Sakura said. "They'll worry. Or call 911. Something drastic, knowing Ino. Though, knowing her, she'd probably feed me to the fishes if she could." She chuckled, and backed away from Sasuke.

"Sweet dreams," he said sarcastically as she walked away.

"Yes. Maybe I'll think of you," she laughed, and jogged off into the night.

O0O

**A/N: Oooh so apparently there's more to Sakura and Sasuke's relationship than she told to Ino and Tenten! She edited some parts out, apparently…I sense fluff! xD**


	8. The Brawl

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad that you're giving your honest opinions, (at least, I hope you are…). The thing with fanfiction is, to make it more "juicy", writers rarely put things that would happen in real life when it comes to romance. I'm being a hypocrite, because I do that way too much for my own liking. I mean, I love fluff, but little to none of it would EVER be likely to happen in real life. So I'm striving to make this as realistic as possible. Really. I am.**

**I'm sorry if Neji seems like he's kind of just floating around out there. Please be patient, and I promise that you'll be seeing more of him soon. (He should have reason to hide. After all, he's traumatized, lol).**

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**Day 8**

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Tenten thought that she needed a break.

She was a bit on the lazy side normally, but once she set her mind to something, she was a hard worker. She always went the extra mile to make everything she attempted perfect. It was either all-fail or perfect success for her. As Yoda had once said, "do or do not, there is no try".

But she seriously _needed_ a break! Or she was going to snap. Her mind wasn't all that resilient. She wasn't like Naruto or Lee, who both tended to be such cheerfully unaffected people that nothing really bothered them in the first place. She wondered why some of that hadn't rubbed off on her.

She sighed, and knocked on the door to the Hyuuga Compound once again. Yumi was going to decide to give Tenten a break the day that Hell froze over, so she braced herself for the coming hour of boredom, awkwardness, and other such unpleasant things.

Hanabi answered the door again, and didn't bother to show her the way. She left Tenten to bump into several walls, get lost a few times, and start going the wrong way for a while before she finally came to Neji's door. It seemed like it was different from last time, until she realized that she was just standing at a different angle. Tenten had never really been that great with directions.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound friendly as possible as she pulled off the slippers and curled up barefoot on the couch, hugging her knees. Neji raised his eyebrows at this new show of comfort. The past times she had come, Tenten had always sat with a stiff back, her hands in her lap and her eyes staring straight at him. Now, her body sagged into the couch, and her eyes roamed his room.

"Hello," he said. He, too, slouched deeper into the chair, to Tenten's surprise. She hadn't realized that he had been sitting so stiffly that he looked like he was a statue. It had seemed like a part of Neji's disjointed personality to sit like that. Now he looked so much more human, actually sitting back in his chair. He eyed her expression with slight amusement, as if he had guessed what she was thinking.

"Would you prefer to actually talk about something?" he suggested as if this were a novel idea. Tenten laughed slightly, and her toes wiggled.

"Sounds good to me. You didn't seem like a talkative person, Neji-kun." His name still felt a bit awkward on her tongue, and she made the "kun" part sound like she had said a "g" instead of a "k". She shrugged it off.

"Excessive talking is unnecessary," Neji said.

"Excessive, sure, but you don't talk at all," Tenten reprimanded. "You should get out of this place more often. Nice as it is, you really need a life. No offense, or anything," she said all in a rush. It was only the truth.

Neji didn't seem offended in the least. She hadn't been expecting him to be. He didn't seem like the sort of person who got offended easily. Her awkwardness was naturally returning to her, so she put her feet back down on the ground. The show of comfort had only worked when she was riding in on the wave of anxiety at the doorway.

"I go outside on occasion."

"Yeah, but not nearly enough." She did not know this fact for sure, but judging by how pale his skin was, she thought it was a pretty accurate guess. The time she had accidentally bumped into him on the street, he must have been on an errand with Hiashi and Hanabi.

"How much is 'enough', by your standards, Tenten?"

Wow. He actually remembered her name. She smiled slightly.

"Everyday, at least for an hour. Don't you like the outdoors? It's nicer outside than it is in here." Biased? Tenten? Nah.

"I have work to do," Neji said, one eyebrow raised, though his lips were slightly twitching at one end at Tenten. It was a funny expression. Tenten found that though his smile was strange, she liked seeing it there, (or at least almost there). It suited him better than the cold mask he was usually wearing when she came.

"Work? You can't be much older than I am!" she said.

"I do have work," Neji repeated slowly. He narrowed his eyes at her. "How old are you really? You seem incredibly childish."

"I'm fifteen, I'll have you know," she growled. "I'm also fully trained in martial arts, so I've got mad moves and I will use them on you if you don't watch what you say to me."

"You see? Your temper is horrible."

"Do you like your nose? Because if you want to keep it, I suggest you shut up."

"You are proving my point."

"I'm going to count to three."

"Tenten, please. You were being honest with what you thought of me. I told you honestly what I thought of you. Handle it maturely, if you will."

"Three."

"Tenten."

"Two."

Neji clamped his mouth shut, and his face turned back into the indifferent cold mask. He turned his head to gaze out of the blindfolded windows once again. Tenten took a deep breath, and decided to hug her knees on the couch again. It _was_ rather comfortable.

They sat like that for what seemed like forever, though Tenten was just starting to get used to the large spaces of silence. The watch on her wrist said that she still had forty-five minutes to go, however. She sighed loudly.

"If I say that I'm sorry, will you talk to me?" she suggested almost hopefully.

"I do not wish to talk to you," he said coldly.

"Now who's being babyish? I'm sorry, if that makes you feel better. I'm being paid to talk to you, so, well, if you don't mind, we have to actually talk. I hate all this no-noise time. It sucks."

"You dislike silence?"

"Don't you?"

"I find it…relaxing."

_Weirdo_, she thought. _This is why you're in therapy. _Neji's expression seemed to change slightly as he processed all of her words. Tenten didn't realize what she had said wrong until he said it himself.

"You are only talking to me because you are being paid," he said slowly.

It sounded pretty bad when he put it that way, (though she herself had just put it that way a minute ago, but it sounded worse when he said it), but wasn't that why he didn't like her the first few times she came? Why was he being all mad about it now?

"Well, yeah. You think I'm just coming because I enjoy this?" she said incredulously.

"No." He sounded like he was lying, though. "I know that woman Yumi sent you. She must be paying you. I already knew this. It does not bother me."

"It doesn't? Then why are you mad?" she asked, confused.

"I am not angry. I just was under the impression that you enjoyed coming here as well."

Tenten paused. Where the Hell had he gotten that idea?! When had she, at any point during her visits, implied that she enjoyed coming to the Hyuuga Compound? Heck, she and Neji had hardly exchanged two words with each other!

"Not…exactly. You didn't exactly, well, _talk_ to me, did you?" said Tenten, trying to say the right thing. She did, apparently, or at least somewhat, because Neji was looking at her like a normal person would again.

"Talking would make it more enjoyable for you?"

"Very, very much so."

"Then we will talk."

"Why were you so mean to me when I came the first few times?"

"None of the other 'doctors' are kind. They are simpering, overprotective. But not kind."

"So you thought I was going to be like that too?"

"I had no reason to believe that you would be any different."

Tenten stared at him. Neji was really different from anybody she had ever met before. Well, besides having silkier, fuller hair than any girl, even Ino. He seemed like he was a 30-year-old man instead of a teenager. He _was_ a teenager, right? What if he really _was_ thirty, and he was going to suddenly go insane on her, and tie her up while cackling maniacally? She waved away this mental image with a hint of amusement. She really needed to kill her imagination.

"Neji-kun, just how old _are_ you?" she asked curiously, almost dreading the awaited answer. Neji looked almost ready to smile at this question, but he didn't laugh at her as Naruto probably would have.

"Fifteen."

"Oh. Oh, okay." She deflated in relief.

"It matters to you?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she said hastily. "Anything in particular that you want to talk about?"

"No."

"Maybe…you interested in any girls?"

"…"

"Okay, wrong topic. What about Hinata? Have you decided what you're going to tell your Uncle Hiashi about making you guys get hitched? I mean, you've got to put your foot down! I sound like I'm nosy and butting into your business, and bossy too, and all, but still, this is too much if you don't even want to do it!"

"Hn."

"I give you my speech, and that's all you've got to say? 'Hn'?!"

"You say it with more of a throaty sound. It is close to a grunt, but you must make it sound dignified. You do this by sucking in your collar bone slightly, and pushing out your throat."

She stared at him baldly as he calmly explained to her how to _grunt._ This was just too creepy. She felt like the more she talked with this guy, the more she understood just how…disturbing he was.

"Um. Okay."

"I will not talk to Hiashi about Hinata."

Tenten stared at him more fiercely this time, indignant on both Hinata and his behalf. It was an insult to their pride! What happened to good old-fashioned love?! This world was so jacked up. He stared unnervingly back at her, not like normal people would do. A normal person would get embarrassed and look away. He just kept staring until _Tenten_ had to look down at her bare toes.

"It is for the sake of the Hyuuga clan, and I live for the protection of the main family." He said this through his teeth, like he hated it. Tenten almost flinched back at the venom in his tone.

"I will not betray the wishes of Hiashi-sama. For him, my father…" He trailed off, and glanced at Tenten.

"Your father what?" she said, suddenly realizing that she had seen Hanabi, Hinata, and Hiashi…but never a trace of Neji's own family. Where were his parents? His siblings? Maybe even pets.

"It is nothing."

"It's not nothing if you say it is."

"Do not ask me more of it."

She squinted at him with one eye. "Listen, man, I'm your psychologist right now, and you have to tell me whatever I ask you to. It's psychoanalysis."

This time his lips did pull up slightly into a half-hearted smile. "Yes, I am sure that you have all the necessary degrees."

She chuckled a little at that one. Before she knew it, Hiashi was announcing that it was time to go, and she was almost reluctant to leave Hyuuga Neji's oppressing, gloomy bedroom.

Seriously, Tenten thought, what's wrong with me?

O0O

"TENTEN!"

Sakura was fuming, her face completely red, when Tenten walked into the dorm after her visit to Neji's. She very nearly grabbed Tenten by the throat to strangle her, if Ino and Hinata hadn't grabbed her arms. Hinata looked on the verge of tears. Her face was panicked, and all the blood was drained.

Tenten wondered what could possibly have happened.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Sakura yelled so loudly that a moment later, the owner called up for them to "please quiet down". Sakura told them to go do something very rude.

"IF YOU HADN'T TOLD NARUTO THAT…THAT…" she sputtered like she had rabies, and stopped struggling. Ino cautiously released her arm, and Hinata followed her lead. Tenten looked back and forth between them all, alarmed and confused.

"What happened?"

"What _happened_ is that you told NARUTO of all people that UCHIHA SASUKE was my boyfriend," Sakura fumed at her. "Do you KNOW where they are right now? DO YOU?!" She looked on the verge of trying to strangle Tenten again.

"…No. Where?"

"They're about to have a FISTFIGHT. Well. Naruto challenged Sasuke. Whoever wins gets…me." Sakura gulped down a wad of saliva, her face still beet red with fury. She wagged her finger at Tenten in a way that reminded Tenten of Aki.

"I thought I made it very clear, Uchiha Sasuke is not my boyfriend. He never was, never will be. And NARUTO, of all people…do you KNOW how far back he and Sasuke go? They've been rivals, bordering on enemies, since practically preschool! I would know." She exhaled and inhaled deeply.

"And now…" she shook her head. "Now he thinks Sasuke's my boyfriend, and Sasuke's going to beat up Naruto. He always wins. Much as he can be annoying, I don't want to see Naruto hurt. Sasuke…isn't like a normal person when it comes to fighting. He won't settle for a black eye. You haven't seen him in a real brawl before—it's like he's some sort of demon. He'll reduce anything alive into a bloody pulp. " Sakura shivered.

"Okay, I can explain," said Tenten hurriedly. "Naruto has a crush on you, Sakura, so I told him that Sasuke was your boyfriend just so that he would leave you alone. I had honestly no clue at all that Naruto actually KNEW who Sasuke was. If they're in a fight right now, then I wouldn't worry too much. Naruto's tougher than you may think. We just have to get there as soon as possible to stop them."

Sakura nodded curtly and got up.

"By the way, how do you know about all of this, anyways?" Tenten inquired.

"Rock Lee came by to see her today," Ino said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "He said that Naruto went off to fight somebody because of Sakura. And he said that Tenten had told Naruto that Sasuke was Sakura's boyfriend." She talked so fast that it was hard to process the information.

"…Lee?" said Tenten weakly as they hurried down the steps.

"Yeah. Shocker, huh?" Ino chuckled.

"Just out of curiosity…why aren't you there stopping them?" Tenten asked Sakura, getting ready to duck in case Sakura took a punch at her head. Sakura gave Tenten a squinty look, and picked up her pace a little.

"Hell, I am NOT stupid enough to try and stop Sasuke and Naruto. I'd get killed too, and then what? I need some backup for this."

Tenten couldn't really think of anything much scarier than Sakura in a bad mood. This must be really bad.

-

**A/N: Okay, another chapter. Tis interesting! And I'm now obsessed with the song "Hey There Delliah" (did I spell that right?), which is thanks to FallingMoon lol.**


	9. Aftermaths

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, again. ARGH my contact is tickling my eyelid xD. I'm new at the whole take-in and take-out the contact thing, so most of the time, my eye is bloodshot because I accidentally stabbed it with my finger --;. So there you have it, my very eventful life.**

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**Day 9**

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Tenten was panting hard.

She hadn't gone for a good run in a long time, and though she was usually pretty fit, Sakura had them going at a pretty good rate. Hinata could keep up with them, but they had lost Ino halfway there. She was now lagging behind, staggering to catch up.

_Two bloody miles!_

Tenten knew that two miles was probably not that big of a deal to some people, but she wasn't one of them. Sakura was running so fast that it was breakneck, and once again, Tenten had not trained for running for a very long time. She was clutching her side, panting, before long. Hinata was faring better, as Tenten knew that Hinata had been getting up early to go for runs in the mornings. Hinata was looking much more panicky than any of them, though. She seemed too worried about Naruto to process that he had a crush on Sakura.

Tenten was in a grim mood. She wanted to strangle Rock Lee. Of all people, he came by and told bigmouthed _Ino_ all about Tenten's lie, and then Ino of course told Sakura the next day once she got the chance to gloat in her face. This was all Lee's fault. She ground her teeth.

"Crap," Sakura cursed, and stopped to look around at their surroundings. People were staring at the three panting girls, (and Ino, who was forcing her way desperately through the crowd towards the others). "I think we're lost," she admitted.

"_Lost_? We're trying to stop my best friend and your boyfriend from killing each other and you say we're _lost?_" Tenten asked, taking a step forward. Sakura glared at her.

"You know what? If you have a good idea right now, I'd like to hear it!" she screamed. "I'm doing the best I can, but it's not like they're going to post direction signs as to where they're going to beat the brains out of each other!"

"That'd be mighty helpful," Tenten muttered venomously under her breath, kicking the asphalt in frustration. For once, she wished that Sakura had something that she didn't: a sense of direction.

"A-Ano…" Hinata's voice stuttered even more than usual from her panting. Her white eyes were still wide, though there was a small string of confidence in her tone.

"Hm?" said Tenten.

"It's t-that way," Hinata said, pointing at a left turn. Tenten raised her eyebrows in surprised, something she had learned from Neji, and Sakura pursed her lips skeptically.

"You know where...?"

Hinata nodded uncertainly, and turned to run. Tenten shrugged at Sakura and followed her. Pretty soon, Ino caught up, and the four of them were running again.

Tenten felt like her lungs were about to burst out of her chest. It burned like Hell, and it hurt to breathe in or out. It seared the inside of her nose and her throat. Her legs felt like jelly. She kept running.

In truth, Ino had no reason at all to be coming with them, but she did anyways. Tenten felt a strange twinge of gratefulness of this action. Ino didn't usually do kind things for other people.

They slowed at the sight of the building.

The tall office building was like most others in the city: gray, with black windows and stretching in a boring rectangular shape straight up to the sky. The address number read 7290. "This is it," Sakura affirmed. They cautiously, warily crept down the side alley dividing this building from the next. Garbage bags stunk up the alleyway. Tenten wrinkled her nose.

They came to a rotting wooden fence at the end of what seemed like a walk to forever. Tenten and Hinata both climbed it without much difficulty, but Sakura couldn't find a foothold, and Ino refused to step on the garbage bags. Finally, relinquishing her pride for a moment, Sakura allowed them to heave her up. Ino sighed and shook her head when Tenten offered an arm from the other side.

"You guys can go on. I'm _pooped._ I am not moving another inch." And with a sigh, she sank down onto the pavement. Tenten shrugged, and slid back down the fence.

"Suit yourself," she called.

At the other end of the fence was the building site of a new area of homes. The workers had already quit work for the afternoon, to resume when the sun would sink behind the horizon. The giant yellow machines they used stood still, the terrifying black teeth used for moving dirt glinting in the midday sun.

Sasuke and Naruto were both standing in an empty patch of dust and dirt, about 100 meters away. Tenten had to look through the hollow boards of a house to see them.

"Naruto! You idiot!" she screamed as loud as she could, her legs running before she made the conscious command for them to move. "Stop it!"

He either didn't hear her, or ignored her. His blue eyes were narrowed in an expression of intense hatred. His body was covered in dust, and there was a large gash across his face. He was doubled over, one arm clutching the left side of his ribcage. Sasuke stood straight, smirking, his arms folded, not a single scratch on him, as far as Tenten could see. His black eyes were cold.

"Teme…" Naruto hissed.

"Dobe. Weak as ever," Sasuke inclined his head.

Naruto let out a roar of fury and charged at Sasuke, taking aim at his head. Sasuke dodged easily, caught the arm, and twisted it behind Naruto's back. Tenten could see now that Naruto had never stood a chance, but she would have had to have seen it to believe it. Naruto was not easily beaten, out of pure stubbornness alone.

Naruto tried to twist out of Sasuke's grip, but now they were close enough to see that Sasuke's veins stood out in his hand, he was gripping Naruto so hard. Naruto struggled harder, and Sasuke pulled his arm further back. Naruto grunted in pain.

"Uchiha, I'll kill you for this!" Sakura screamed at him, her green eyes furious. Sasuke turned to look at her inquiringly, though his expression was indifferent. It was rather obvious to everybody there that there was little Sakura could do to him.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out, her eyes wide in fear at the expression of pain on Naruto's face. However, the blonde managed to wink at her.

"Oy, Hinata-chan! What're you doing here? It's no place for a lady! Sasuke-teme, lemme go. Can't you see that Hinata-chan's here?"

Sasuke ignored him completely.

"Right ol' bastard, he is," Naruto said, nudging his head in Sasuke's direction. Hinata bit her lip, and took a few more steps forward. Instantly, Sasuke shifted his position to defensive, never taking his eyes off of Sakura, lest she take a punch at him.

"Let. Him. Go," Sakura said very slowly, in a deadly tone.

"Hn." Sasuke drew a pocketknife from his pant's pocket, so that only Sakura could see. He switched it open, and raised his arm. His intention was clear. Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

"You wouldn't," she said, though her voice wavered with uncertainty. "You…you can't."

"Foolish girl," Sasuke said, ever cold, and brought the knife higher so that Naruto and Hinata could both see it too. Naruto's eyes narrowed, but Hinata looked ready to faint. She didn't take any more steps forward, for fear that Sasuke would do something drastic.

"All this over me?" Sakura said in a voice meant to calm him down a little. "C'mon, it's stupid. Let him go, Uchiha. Let Naruto go." She took a step forward. This felt like some kind of cop-and-robbers show, the scene where they approach the hostage. "If you kill him, then I'll kill you," she added menacingly. "Don't have any doubt about that. My word is good."

Sasuke twitched his hand so that the knife drew blood from Naruto's jaw. For his credit, Naruto didn't even flinch.

"You don't even care about me! _He_ challenged_ you_, remember?" Sakura screamed at him, because talking didn't seem to be getting through. "What would you kill him _for_? I don't even know you anymore! This isn't some old feudalism movie! This is the 21st century! You can't just kill him, Uchiha!"

"I care little for his life," Sasuke drawled indifferently.

"I do!" Sakura screamed. "Sasuke, let Naruto go!"

Sasuke twisted the knife so that it was pressing against Naruto's throat.

"Heh. Sasuke-teme, whatever else you are, you aren't a killer," Naruto said. "You gonna kill me? Teme, you coward, with your knife tricks. Fight me like a man!"

It sounded like something out of a movie. Except that there was nothing funny about it.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed. It seemed like she was doing a lot of screaming. She was going to go absolutely crazy if she didn't vent her frustration, and yes, her fear, in some way, though.

Sasuke paused, and turned to look at her. "The dobe says he loves you," he said coldly. "Do you love him?"

Sakura faltered, the words caught in her throat. "I…_what?!_"

"Do you love him?" Sasuke repeated calmly.

Sakura calculated her answer carefully. Which was the right answer, yes, or no? Which one would make Sasuke just let Naruto go? Which one would make him come back to his _senses_? She'd never seen him come close to being like this. What was wrong with him today?

"I…don't…know," she finally said slowly, scrutinizing him for a reaction.

"Answer me!" Sasuke demanded, this time a hint of hysteria edging his normally cool tone. It threw Sakura off balance. She hadn't heard him talk with that kind of voice for a long time.

"Put away the knife, and I'll tell you," she said.

Sasuke smirked, back to his old self in a moment. "No…" He lowered the knife slightly, "…or yes?" He brought it back up, and made a shallow cut on Naruto's neck. In a second, everything fell into place. Sakura realized what this was all about, what this had been about all along.

"You…" Sakura choked, "You _wanted_ to fight him?" she demanded. "You weren't just humoring Naruto when you accepted his request? You and I both know that we're not boyfriend and girlfriend," she accused him.

"Hn." Sasuke gave her a look that clearly said, "it's about time that you figured that out". All along, Sakura had assumed that Naruto had just challenged Sasuke to one of their rather frequent brawls, (where Sasuke always won), but this time because of her. She had never actually met Naruto before this, but Sasuke had told her enough.

She had seen Sasuke in plenty of fights. His opponents weren't what you would call lucky. But he had _wanted_ to fight Naruto? That little fact made all the difference.

"Uchiha…you-"

She had been about to call him something pretty unpleasant, but he cut her off. "_Sasuke-kun._ You. Will. Not. Call. Me. Uchiha," he hissed. She blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Say it!" he demanded.

"What the Hell are you-"

"Sakura," he hissed.

She sighed. "Sasuke-kun. Are you happy now?"

He smirked, and flicked the blade back into the handle, pocketing it as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "Yes."

Sakura glowered at him. "I _hate_ you." She ran over to Naruto the same moment that Hinata did, both checking the cuts on his face. Naruto shrugged at the sudden attention, convinced that it was nothing serious.

Meanwhile, during this entire episode, everybody had pretty much ignored Tenten, (good reason, too, she had made sure she was not in a position to be easily seen). Naruto had not noticed she was there, Sakura and Hinata had been too preoccupied. Now as the two girls fussed over Naruto, (Sakura was in a rare helpful mood).

The Uchiha glanced at her in mild interest, his eyes cold. "Who are you?"

"Nobody of interest," Tenten replied in an equally cool voice.

"Who are you?" he repeated as if she had not spoken. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Sorry, I don't associate with potential murderers."

He didn't give the knee-jerk reaction of anger. His face was calm and serene as he turned away from her, his curiosity sated.

"That tongue will kill you," he murmured acidly.

"Well, better wit than nothing," she replied as he retreated. She didn't make a move to stop him, though she probably should have. She really didn't see the point. Sakura would deal with him later, most likely on her own terms.

"Tenten-chan!" Naruto called, finally noticing that she was there.

"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "Are you okay?"

O0O

"Wow. That was…quite a day."

Tenten rolled her eyes at the blonde lounging on her bed. "You weren't even there, Ino. Quit talking big."

Ino rolled her eyes too and propped her arms behind her head, sighing. "Yeah, but now I wish I hadn't missed it. This place is so boring, it's hard to believe that this type of stuff still happens in a modern town. Reminds me of those old Western showdowns, except without the music." She chuckled, thinking she was funny.

"I'm g-glad that nobody was h-hurt too badly," Hinata murmured, perched awkwardly on her bed. Tenten nudged Ino to scoot over, and sat down too. Sakura was pacing back and forth across the floor, and ignoring their conversation.

"What're you thinking 'bout, Forehead-girl?" Ino finally asked, sounding like she wouldn't care if Sakura were planning an invasion of the world with penguins as her allies. Sakura glanced up, and then resumed her pacing.

"Seriously," Tenten said, "Aren't you tired out? That was quite an afternoon."

Sakura sighed, and climbed up to her bunk to flop down dejectedly. It was a rare time to see the usually upbeat girl in such a depressing mood. "It's hard to believe that they nearly killed each other over me."

"Meaning it's all your fault," Ino translated.

Sakura glared at her. "Gee. Thanks a lot, Pig."

"Well, still." Ino's trademark grin inched onto her pale features, her blue eyes shining with a dangerous glint. "Aren't you happy?"

"Happy?" Sakura repeated incredulously. "Why in Hell would I be _happy_?!"

"Your dear Sasuke-kun was willingly fighting Naruto for you," she pointed out. "He wouldn't let Naruto go until he made sure that you didn't like him. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Does it?" Sakura said, bored.

"Yes!" Ino shouted, exasperated. "It means that he has feelings for you!"

"And?" Sakura asked, still staring at the ceiling.

Ino sputtered. Hinata and Tenten watched her warily.

"Uh…you want water or something?" Tenten finally said. Much as she did not like Ino, letting her just sit there sputtering and turning steadily purple in the face was probably not healthy. What kind of person would she be?

"I-Ino-san…" Hinata warned as Ino's sputtering increased. She clamped her mouth together.

"Ah. Sorry."

She squinted one-eyed at Sakura. "I just told you that Uchiha Sasuke likes you and you go 'so'?! What's wrong with you? Didn't you say you liked him or something?"

"I did," Sakura said coldly. "But, I have never _loved_ him, I don't, and I never will. I believe I made that very clear."

"Isn't it something that he cares about you, still?" Ino prodded.

Sakura flopped back down into her bed. "Ino, he just nearly killed somebody today, and all you can think about is his love life?" Ino paused for consideration.

"Yeah," Tenten answered for her. "That's pretty much _all_ that Ino thinks about. She's just that dense."

"Hey!"

"I'm much more concerned with the fact that he's never come close to trying to kill somebody before, and that he could try it again, and succeed," Sakura mused to the ceiling. "I couldn't care much less about who he loves, even if it is me."

Ino pursed her lips. "God, haven't you noticed that he's hot?"

Hinata blushed, Tenten gagged, and Sakura raised her eyebrow. "You _are_ dense," she finally said.

Ino held up her hands in front of her in defense. "Hey, since nobody in here knows how to be a real _girl_ but me, I have to do quadruple duty for you people too. Be a little more grateful, will you?"

Sakura snorted. "Right."

Ino sulked. Tenten found herself wondering what she had ever done to deserve this degree of punishment.

--

**A/N: Okay, I probably won't be posting much during the weekdays, so look out for updates on weekends. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Everything Sakura says is true, the whole thing about how she couldn't care less and everything. It contradicts with previous chapters, yes, but I will explain that later on.**


	10. The Color of Light

**A/N: Thanks for the input on how I'm doing. Ah, I knew this would happen, -tragic shake of head-. I'm turning this fic into a SasuSaku --; (But not on purpose! I swear it on my foot!) Thanks for letting me know ahead of time so I can get back on track. Everything I write seems to head in the SasuSaku direction, but darnit, I WILL write NejiTen!**

**And yes, they are all pretty much the same age in this fiction. Tenten is slightly older than the other girls, but not quite a year.**

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**Day 10**

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"I'm _bored_," Ino complained for the fifth time in less than fifteen minutes. Tenten sighed in exasperation and threw down her novel face down on the bunk, knowing full well that it was horrible for the spine.

"Then _do_ something!" she exclaimed, glaring at the blonde.

Ino glared right back at Tenten. "Like what?"

"Well, read a book." Tenten gestured to her own source of entertainment. Guiltily, she noticed the spine already developing a fold line down the middle. Ino did that bridge-of-the-nose wrinkling thing again, and shook her head.

"Fiction's nothing but a bunch of lies. Why should I waste my time reading it?" She picked up Tenten's book as if it were a bag of dog dung, and glanced at the title.

"_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._ So typical of you," she sighed, and flung it back at Tenten.

As soon as Hinata had nervously accepted Sakura's offer to go down the street for a smoothie together, Tenten had known that it would be a bad idea to leave her and Ino alone in a small room together. She tried to remind herself that she had withstood this before the arrival of Sakura, but somehow, three pests seemed better than just one. At least Sakura kept Ino occupied.

Tenten set the book on the bedside table, and flicked the back of Ino's head. All of her silvery-blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail.

"Stop it!" she swatted at Tenten.

"Why didn't you just go out with them?" Tenten whined. She hadn't been able to whine to anybody for a long time, and it was making her cranky. She knew it was probably because of all the caffeine she had drank last night, from the coffee machine downstairs in front of the check-in desk, but she didn't really care.

"Because, smoothies are horrible for your health," Ino chided. Tenten raised her eyebrows.

"Smoothies are made of fruit. If that's bad for your health, then what's steak?"

"Chewing fruit burns more calories than just sipping mashed up strawberries, like you're eating baby food or something. It's absolutely gross." Ino shook her head, and primly clasped her fingers together. "I don't see how you people can stand it." She paused. "Then again, I don't suppose you guys would count as 'people'. Not normal ones, anyways."

"Oh, yeah? Then what are your friends like, if we're so weird?" Tenten demanded indignantly. Ino's standards of normal must be pretty warped.

Ino pursed her lips and paused for just a second before rattling on. "My friends are absolutely _gorgeous_. They understand me, and they actually want to go on shopping sprees, and they…they…" She sighed, and deflated. "Of course, now that I'm stuck here, I won't be seeing much of them."

"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't force you to come here," Tenten snorted, and rolled over.

"Where are you going?" Ino asked, surprised, as Tenten stuffed her feet into the ever-muddy Nikes. Tenten shoved a 20 into her pocket, which Ino eyed with envy, (the pink-obsessed girl was almost flat broke).

"Where do you think? I have to work," Tenten grumbled.

O0O

She entered the now familiar office building with a sick ton of dread in the pit of her stomach.

The Hyuuga Compound was pretty unpleasant in itself, but the office building was worse, by all means. It was way too cold: the air conditioning was turned up to frigid. Tenten wouldn't have been surprised if she rounded a corner to see icicles hanging from the ceiling. God, it wasn't really _that_ hot outside, was it?

Yumi bumped into her as she made her way up to the correct floor. Her artificially pretty face lit up with false surprise. "Tenten! You're early!" _Is that really so hard to believe?_

Tenten tried for a smile, and found herself instead jutting her buckteeth out over her lower lip. Yumi's smile faltered a little. She took a crunching bite of the blood red apple she was holding in one of her red-talon hands.

"You know where to go," she said after Tenten stood there staring at her while she chewed. Tenten sighed, and pushed past her towards the file room.

She had barely made it in before somebody spoke behind her.

"Hello."

She felt a shiver of goose bumps go up her neck before she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"HYUUGA NEJI do NOT do that to me!!" A few passing workers paused to stare at her as she clutched her heart, her eyes staring widely at Neji. He seemed indifferent enough to her reaction. He cocked his head slightly, though it was a stiff gesture.

"I apologize for frightening you."

"I'm not scared." She coughed, and swallowed a wad of saliva. "Okay. Well. Maybe a little," she admitted. She waved him into the room.

"Clean," he noted, eyeing the empty floor.

"Yeah. That's 'cause I haven't started yet for the day," she replied, pulling out a drawer from the metal file cabinets. It made a satisfying swooshing sound. She began pulling out files helter skelter. He moved to help her, taking them from her and setting them neatly on a table. She smiled in gratefulness.

"Thanks. You're really organized, Neji-kun."

"Hn."

He swiftly stacked a pile of folders into a neat stack, and set them in a corner so that he could start a new pile.

"Are you here for…therapy?" she asked slightly awkwardly, pausing to peek at his reaction. His hands didn't stop sorting the files, though his shoulders tensed slightly.

"Hn."

"Oh. With who?"

"A woman with blonde hair."

"…okay."

Tenten hadn't seen any ladies with blonde hair around, at least not psychologists. She wondered who it could be. Neji didn't seem like he liked talking about this sort of thing, so she shut up. All they could hear for a little while was the slight rubbing sound of manila envelope against paper. She coughed loudly, but it made the silence worse.

At last, the paper sound stopped for a moment, and then a minute, and then five. At last, she looked around to see Neji lounging in the chair, holding a cup of black coffee in his right hand. Her face automatically twisted into a smile. She had never heard him leave to go get coffee.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Hn."

She sat down in the swivel chair opposite him on the table, eyeing the coffee. So Neji was a fellow caffeine lover? Well, it made him that much more likeable. She smiled wider at him. He took a sip of the coffee. White smoke curled in elegant tendrils around his nose and over his head.

"Is that hot?" she asked finally.

"Yes, it is very hot," he said flatly, taking another sip.

"Did you put any cream in? It tastes much better that way."

"No."

"Not even _sugar_?"

"No." He looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "Why would I want to put in sugar or cream? The best medicines are bitter."

"Yeah…but this is _coffee_," she said, staring at the ominous-looking black liquid inside the cup. It seemed much more scary now that she knew that the stuff was pure black coffee. No sweetening.

He shrugged. "Coffee is good for the spirit."

Tenten laughed, even though she wasn't really sure if he was actually joking or not. "Yeah. I guess you could say that. The same way that chocolate chip cookies and cold milk are good for you."

He took a long drag of the coffee, and slid the cup across the table towards her. "Would you like some?" The cup was more than halfway full. Tenten had never minded sharing cups with anybody. It wasn't something that bothered her. But she was really, _really_ afraid to drink that black coffee.

"Uh. No, thanks."

"Alright." He didn't seem like he cared. He left the cup where it was, close enough so that she could feel the heat coming through the Styrofoam onto her forearm. It made the little hairs on her skin stand up on end. She warily eyed the contents while he waited for her to say something, anything at all. She couldn't think of anything.

At last, randomly because it was the first thing that popped into her head, she said, "What's your favorite color?" She had been thinking about Ino and her pink obsession. She very much hoped that Neji did not have a pink obsession. After all, he did have the hair.

He paused, a you-are-the-one-that-needs-therapy kind of pause. Tenten mentally slapped herself.

"White."

"White?" she said in surprise. Of all colors…damn it all, white wasn't even a color! Wasn't it like a form of light…or something like that? Along with black? She shook her head at him. "White?" she repeated. "Why?"

"White is clean. White is pure. White is simple," he said slowly, drawing out the words. "White helps me think. It is restful. Not loud, like this world." He waved towards the direction of the door, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"Oh." Tenten thought. She kind-of understood what he meant. Maybe white wasn't that bad. "I get it. Sort of."

"You?" he said. He reached across the table and took the coffee back. His knuckle brushed against her arm. It felt dry, and callused, and kind of _scaly._ His skin was so chapped that the lines stood out, making it rough. She drew back her arm automatically, an involuntary shiver running down her spine. He was so _creepy._

"Me…what?" she finally realized he had asked her something.

"You. Your favorite color," he repeated calmly, patiently. She could never be that patient.

"Well. Uh…I don't know." She shrugged. "I never actually gave it much thought. I like everything." She paused for consideration. "Except pink, of course."

"Pink…?"

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "This girl Ino that's my roommate? She has an obsession with pink. Everything she owns has to be pink: her bedding, her clothes, even her toothbrush. It's a bit…distracting, if you get what I mean."

He didn't look like he got what she meant, and he didn't look like he cared either. She sighed. She sounded so mean, talking about Ino like she was some sort of freak. Wait a minute, who was she to complain? Ino _was_ a freak. _Neji_ was a freak. Tenten, most likely, was also a freak.

Did this make her a hypocrite?

"Your nails are long," he said flatly.

She glanced down automatically at her fingers. Sure enough, her nails were so long that they were about to split. Her mother had painted her nails bright red for her a while back, and the white nail poked through above the chipping polish.

"Yeah, maybe I need to cut them," she noted. No need to mention that she didn't have any clippers.

Maybe he read it in her face, (she was beginning to realize that Neji was very good at reading people), but he scrutinized her nails more carefully. He pulled a pair of golden clippers out of his pocket. She looked up in surprise. "Cut them."

"Now?" she said. _What type of person carries nail clippers in their pocket? Tenten, get out of here…the guy's a loony! _

"Yes." He nodded and sat back to watch her cut her nails. She sighed, and started to clip.

O0O

"How was work?" Ino asked in a bored voice once Tenten got back. She was lying on her back, reading a copy of GL magazine on the bed, her tongue sticking out from between her lips.

"…Interesting," Tenten sighed, pulling off her shoes. Sakura and Hinata were playing Scrabble, (once again, with her board), on the ground. It was good to see that Hinata was feeling a bit more comfortable.

"Hah! I just spelled humuhumunukunukuapuaa!" Sakura declared in triumph.

"…Is that a word?" said Ino.

"That's an impossibility," Tenten declared, going over to see anyways. Sure enough, Sakura had spelled out the Hawaiian name for a triggerfish. Hinata was staring at the board, and then at Sakura, as if they were gods.

"You p-play very w-well, Sakura-san," she praised the pink-haired girl. Sakura flipped back her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, tying it with a black ribbon. Strand fell out of the ponytail to frame her face.

"Yeah, well, I've been playing for a long time. It wasn't fair for me to play against you," she admitted. Tenten gaped at them.

Sakura…was being…modest? Hm. And she was being nice to Hinata to boot!

Ino sat up, her blue eyes looking dejected. "God, this place is depressing," she complained. Sakura rolled her eyes, and Hinata looked down. Tenten pretended nobody had spoken.

"Hey, I have an idea," Ino said, getting up from the bed to come over and join them sitting on the floor. "Let's play a game of Truth or Dare."

"Truth or Dare?" Tenten asked warily.

"Yeah," Ino said, a challenging glint in her eye. "Or are you chicken?"

Of course, Sakura never backed down from a challenge.

O0O

They ate a dinner of ham and cheese sandwiches with carrots. At seven O' clock that night, they sat in a circle on the floor, each sitting on a sleeping bag and wrapped in a fleece blanket.

Ino had put a flashlight in the middle of their ring so that the circle of light shone on the ceiling, and also a bowl of grapes, a larger bowl of popcorn, and four Capri suns.

Tenten took a long, bubbly-sounding draw from her drink, snuggling deeper into her army green sleeping bag and wrapping the dark blue and green striped fleece blanket around her shoulders. Hinata's white eyes seemed to glow in the light of the flashlight, and Sakura's teeth were biting into her lip. Ino was the only one that seemed unfazed by the prospect of a no-rules Truth or Dare.

"I'll go first," Ino said. Nobody challenged her. Nobody wanted to step into the spotlight.

She turned to Sakura. "Okay. Spill everything about you and the Uchiha baby."

"That's not a question," Sakura said stiffly.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Fine. What are your feelings for him?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, as if this were something really dishy. (In her opinion, it probably was.)

Sakura sighed, and wiped back a loose strand of hair with a piece of her red plaid fleece blanket.

"I've already told you. I don't love him."

"Oh, stop lying. This is Truth or Dare, remember? Anybody with two eyes in their head could see that there's chemistry between you two," Ino prodded eagerly. Sakura shook her head and sighed again.

"Well, if that's what you insist on believing, then suit yourself."

Ino pouted. "Say what you _really_ feel about him."

Sakura put her face in her hands. "I swear, Ino-pig, you are going to make my ears bleed. Is my love life the only thing of interest to you?"

"As of this moment, yes."

"Alright, we did go out a few times. Are you happy?"

Ino gasped as if somebody had stabbed her. "Are you _serious_?!" She squealed, and made as if to hug Sakura, but the pink-haired girl scooted away just in time, so that Ino looked like she had just made an odd sideways bow before coming back up into a sitting position.

"Yes. It wasn't anything…boyfriend-girlfriend-ish, though, not anything you'd find interesting," Sakura explained calmly.

"Yeah, right. Any date with a boy is a romantic date," Ino corrected.

"So what would you call me and Lee, the hot item of the year?" Tenten asked sarcastically. Even Hinata let out a small giggle at this one.

"Okay, so I see your point," Ino said, "But Uchiha Sasuke hardly seems like the type of guy who would want to make friends. Therefore, it must have been a boy-girl type date, am I right?"

"No, you're wrong," Sakura said flatly. "You've already used up your turn. It's my turn now."

"Aw, Forehe-"

"It's my turn."

Ino fell silent at the deadly menace in Sakura's tone.

"Fine. Sheesh."

"Now…Tenten."

Tenten gulped. Oh, God. What had she gotten herself into? Then again, it couldn't be _that_ bad, could it? She had barely known these girls for a week. They couldn't ask anything that they knew would be embarrassing for her. She relaxed a little.

"Have you ever kissed a boy?" Sakura laughed devilishly. "And if more than one, who was the best kisser?"

Tenten exhaled. This one, at least, would not cost her any pride. "No, I have never kissed anybody, and I don't plan on planting one of anybody anytime soon." Ino pouted, Sakura didn't seem like she had been listening, and Hinata's face was flaming red in the light of the flashlight.

"Well, that sucks," Ino muttered.

"I haven't seen you doing much kissing," Tenten argued defensively.

"Not that you know of," Ino muttered, again mostly to herself. Tenten chose to ignore her this time.

"Hey, what about that Neji boy that you're always complaining about?" Sakura suddenly mentioned.

"What about him?" Tenten paused. "Wait. When have I ever complained about him?"

"You talk in your sleep," Ino sniggered.

"Why don't you kiss him?" Sakura suggested.

"S-Sakura-san!" Hinata gasped. "Neji-nii-san is b-betrothed!"

"Really? To who?" Sakura asked with sudden interest.

"A-Ano…"

"To Hinata," Tenten said firmly. "And I'm going to stop them from getting married if it's the last thing I do."

"Aren't they cousins?" said Ino, glancing at Hinata.

"Yes. Exactly."

"Well…what better way to stop the wedding than to get Neji to fall in love with you?" Ino said slowly, as if an idea were forming in her head. Tenten didn't like that tone at all. She scooted unconsciously a little closer to Hinata and further from Ino.

"I don't think so. I stay single," Tenten said stubbornly. "I don't believe in playing with other people's feelings for bets, or whatever this is."

"But it's not a bet that's going to hurt him! By making Neji fall in love with you, you could get Neji and Hinata both _out_ of a problem!" Ino argued.

"Ino, I'm not going to do it," Tenten insisted.

"Think about it, okay?" Ino pleaded.

"No."

"You will. You already dream about him at night. Think how cute it would be if you guys got together!" Ino gushed.

"I don't dream about him," Tenten argued, who happened to remember exactly what she had dreamed about last night. She paused. "Okay, so I do dream about him. But not in the way that you would think. I had a nightmare that I went to the office in my underwear, and then Neji poured coffee so hot over my head that I melted into a puddle. And then Yumi ate me."

Ino, Sakura, and Hinata all stared at her with bug eyes.

"Oooookaaayy…"

--

**A/N: Lol, hope you enjoyed this one!**


	11. Inner Balance

**A/N: -looks surprised- Wow, that was a lot of reviews! And I think I'll also be able to update more often than I thought during the school week. **

**Does anybody do band besides me? Because I love it, lol. It's my favorite class next to Algebra and History. (Yes, I am a nerd, lol.)**

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**Day 11**

**--**

"Okay, I am really, _really_ sorry about this," said Tenten.

She was at the familiar halfpipe. On one side of her stood Naruto and Lee, both holding helmets and with one foot on their skateboards, looking confused but willing to cooperate as soon as Tenten explained herself. On her left stood Hinata and Neji, both fair skinned with dark hair, Neji looking cold and Hinata looking red.

Sakura and Ino had vanished, though they had originally come along with her too. She assumed that they had gone off to seek some entertainment and left Tenten mercilessly to her doom.

"Uh…Naruto, Lee, this is Hyuuga Neji. Neji-kun, these are my two best friends, Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee." She swallowed, and tried to think of something else to say.

When she had come up with the bright idea to bring Neji out to meet all of her friends, (and roommates), it had seemed like a fun thing to do. It would be good for everybody to meet some new people. Now she was deeply regretting the decision. She had forgotten to foresee problems such as the fact that Hinata liked Naruto, Naruto liked Sakura, Sakura was agonizing over homicidal Sasuke. Neji was traumatized. How had she forgotten these little facts?

Oh yeah, Rock Lee had also decided to bring Maito Gai, to top off the experience.

Her sensei winked and did his famous Nice Guy pose, his white teeth flashing, (this may have been the only thing attractive about him: the white teeth. He claimed that he didn't even need a dentist).

"Tenten, our young Flower of Youth!" He slung an arm around Lee's shoulders, and Lee beamed almost disgustingly brightly. Tenten wilted. "Your friends are so quiet! We must teach them to appreciate their Springtime of Youth!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"OKAY!" Tenten screamed. Lee and Gai both turned to look at her as though she were slightly insane, but they did stop. Naruto, oddly, was being silent. Neji and Hinata, not oddly, were also being silent.

"Uh…you guys want to skate?" Tenten suggested hopefully, sounding like she would rather die.

"No," said Neji.

"A-Ano…" said Hinata.

"Please," said Naruto rather seriously, but then he turned to wink at Tenten, and he grabbed his board to go do a few practice runs. Lee followed, and Gai sat himself down in a park bench to watch. Hinata shuffled awkwardly off to the side until she stood next to Tenten, still looking down. Neji stood completely still and in the middle of the road while passing people stared at his long hair.

"You sure you don't want to take a turn?" Tenten questioned, holding out her own board. Hinata quickly shook her head.

"Oh, I don't know h-how."

Tenten paused, a slow grin spreading across her face. Hinata, wisely, took a step back from her warily.

"Why don't we get Naruto to teach you?" said Tenten, gleefully watching Hinata's face rise in color.

"T-Tenten-san! I c-couldn't!" Hinata cried, mortified already. Tenten scuffed her toe on the ground, and did a little twirl of victory.

"Why not?" she said in a sing-song voice. Hinata mumbled something unintelligible.

"See? There's no reason for you not to," Tenten said smugly, and gave Hinata a little shove in the small of her back. She made a small "eep" sound of surprise, and stumbled forward. Tenten smiled wider. Maybe this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"I do not want to be here," Neji said flatly when she went over to stand by him, doing a few tricks on her skateboard. She frowned.

"What, do you have to be someplace?"

"Yes."

"Really?" she said in surprise. "Where?"

He scowled. "Anywhere but here." She frowned at him, wagging her finger, and then adjusting her helmet so that it sat snugly onto her head.

"Neji-kun, it's really, really not good for you to spend the entire day moping in your bedroom. It's seriously beneficial for your health to come out here and get some fresh air, you know!"

Neji scowled at her, and folded his arms snugly in denial.

"You'll get fat if you don't exercise," Tenten giggled, a sudden image of a monster-sized sumo wrestler Neji popping into her head. Neji's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at her.

"You are a child," he sneered.

She elbowed him in the ribs, perhaps much harder than necessary. "Not sure if you've noticed, but reality check? We're the same age," she reminded him, flicking him in the forehead. "_Fifteen._"

He flicked her back.

"Ow!" she complained, rubbing her forehead. "Hyuuga Neji, you are such a _baby_."

"It takes one to know one," he said indifferently, and turned back to watching the others skate. Hinata was looking rather nervous, standing completely stock still on Naruto's skateboard, her knees so stiff it looked like she was a statue. Naruto looked like he was trying to coax her into moving, but Hinata was not going anywhere anytime soon. Tenten was reminded of her first time on a skateboard, all those years ago. She hadn't moved much then either.

"Neji-kun, go skate," she commanded him, shoving her board into his toe. He winced.

"Why?"

"Well, because Hinata there looks like she needs some company. And, as stated before, you need the exercise," she explained.

"I do not want to skateboard," he said stiffly, pushing her board away from his leg. She sighed and shook her head.

"Geez, Neji-kun. You're so lazy."

"I am not lazy."

"Are too."

"I am not."

"Prove it," she said, this time shoving the board into his other big toe. He winced again, and took a smart step away from her, at the same time grabbing her board and holding it high above his head. She raised her eyebrows at him, and folded her arms.

"You know, you're supposed to _stand_ on it," she said slowly, as if talking to a five year old. He scowled.

"I know that. I am not letting you get back in reach of this weapon," he said solemnly, holding the board still higher in the air. She burst out laughing.

"Weapon?"

"Yes," he said, still seriously. "You are dangerous."

"Dangerous to society? Yeah, I think that fits me perfectly," Tenten chortled, and reached for the board on tiptoe. Her fingertips brushed the edge. Sadly, Neji was taller than her. She jumped for it. He held it higher.

"Neji-kun, you're mean," she said.

"Yes."

"You're a crabby old man, at least on the inside."

"Hn…?"

She sighed. "Just give me my board back."

"No."

"Pleeeasse?

"No."

"I won't make you skate on it. Also, if you don't give it back, I'll start screaming that you attacked me and stole it."

Pause. Pause.

He handed the board back.

"Thank you," she said primly, and stood on top of it, gently wheeling back and forth as she watched Hinata finally go off at a slow speed. Naruto clapped enthusiastically.

"I have no balance," said Neji.

"Oh," said Tenten, surprised. "Well…you know, balance isn't really something you're born with. You can practice." She got off of the board.

"Seriously, I can help you," she said, eyeing his baleful expression.

Neji stared at the board, stared at Tenten. Stared at the board. Looked at Hinata. Gazed at the sky, counted the Canadian geese flying by. Tenten tapped her foot.

"Alright."

"You know, it's actually really good for you…wait, did you just say 'alright'?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"Hn." Neji took a step towards the board.

"Just put your feet on it."

Neji put his right foot on the board, and moved it back and forth a little. Steadied it. Put his left foot on…

The board slid back, forth, and then rolled downhill.

Tenten's eyes widened. She'd forgotten that they were on a downhill slope! "Neji-kun!" she called, starting to follow him.

Neji didn't need warning. As soon as he realized that he was moving without actually meaning to move, his white eyes widened. And then…

He flipped off of the skateboard.

_Flipped._

He did a summersault in midair and landed steadily on his feet. The board kept rolling, until it got jammed into a bush. Tenten paid it no mind, staring, and gawking, openmouthed at Neji.

"You…you…" she sputtered, pointing at him.

He shrugged, and stretched his arm. "What?"

"You just _flipped_. Off of my skateboard. And you say you don't have balance!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "God, Neji! Just _God_!"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You lack proper vocabulary."

"Damn it all, you can do flips but you can't _skateboard_?"

"I cannot bike, either."

"Hyuuga Neji, you're_ weird_," she said.

"I am your therapy patient, am I not?" he said. "I should think you would have known I was not normal." He scowled.

"Who taught you that?" she demanded.

"How to be not-normal? Does anybody need to teach you that?"

"No, not being weird, how to flip!"

He paused. "I have trained for a long time."

"In martial arts?" He nodded. 

"I exceed both Hinata and Hanabi greatly."

God, why was everybody Tenten meeting some kind of kung-fu genius? She shuddered. This world was so whacked up. She jogged down hill and grabbed up her skateboard, and hugged it to her chest, even though the wheels were covered in mud.

"You…you know what? I give up," she sighed. "I give up trying to understand how your mind works."

Neji smiled faintly. It had to be the first time Tenten had ever see him look remotely happy. "That is wise of you. I have a very…unique mind."

"Of course, God forbid you be normal," she rolled her eyes. Neji smiled slightly again. He reached out a hand for the skateboard. Unwillingly, she handed it over. His fingers brushed the back of her fingers. Again, a shiver ran down her back—the texture of his skin was so _different._ It was dry and cracked and kind of electric-ish.

He scrutinized her surprised expression. "I apologize."

"For what?"

"You dislike me to touch you," he said, gently tugging the skateboard out of her frozen fingers. "I understand. I am sorry."

"Oh…it's not that…" She faltered. Okay, so it was that. "Nevermind. Thanks," she said awkwardly. Neji smiled that small smile again.

"Tenten, you are very amusing."

O0O

"Hey."

Ino smiled at Tenten. There was a first. Tenten shrugged.

"Hi. Did you guys have fun?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, falling into step with Tenten, Hinata, and Ino, toasting them with her Jamba Juice smoothie. "Right. Like a body can enjoy herself with Little Miss Pink here." Ino shoved her playfully.

"I didn't see you complaining."

"Yeah, but I was doing it internally throughout the entire ordeal."

"Sure, Forehead-girl, sure."

"Where'd you people go anyways?" said Tenten curiously.

"Ah, to the plaza," said Ino airily. "They've got some pretty cool stuff there."

Hinata looked like she might have wanted to go with them. The whole thing with Naruto and the skateboard had pretty much used up her bravery for the day. Tenten smiled sympathetically at her. "Sorry for forcing you into hanging out with Naruto, Hinata-chan. I just thought it might be good for you." She winked. "All with how you're madly in love with him and all."

Ino and Sakura laughed while Hinata flushed so red that she looked like she had been painted that way.

"I'm ready to go back," Tenten sighed. "God, that was stressful."

"Hey, mental patient meets BFF's." Ino shrugged. "Of course it was stressful."

Tenten glared at her. "Not helping. You're going to make me bust something I shouldn't bust."

"Like…your sanity." Sakura suggested.

Hinata was looking a bit down, so Tenten nudged her. "Hinata, I don't think I've seen Naruto that happy for a while." She paused. "Well, he's almost always happy. But still, I think that you guys would be good for each other." Hinata flushed again.

"R-Really?"

_I can't tell her that Naruto really likes Sakura._ Tenten made the decision automatically at the hopeful expression on Hinata's face.

"Yeah," she said, wishing she could just swallow her tongue. "Yeah."

O0O

Shikamaru was waiting for them.

The first thing that they saw was his pineapple hairdo when they opened the door to the dorm. Tenten was dismayed that other people could get in without a key, but Ino wasn't daunted at all. She gave Shikamaru a hug and a peck on the cheek, though Shikamaru turned his head away for that.

"Whatcha doing here?" Ino asked.

"Oh. I was going to…" he glanced at the other three. They got the hint, and stepped back out into the hallway. Sakura sighed in annoyance when Tenten dragged her out.

"You were going to what?" Ino said, once she thought the other girls were out of earshot, (though, of course, they all had their ears pressed to the door).

"There's a party this weekend," Shikamaru explained. "I was wondering if you could come."

"Oh. Really?" Ino sounded surprised. "I didn't know anybody was holding a party."

"Well…it was kind of a last minute thing," Shikamaru said uncomfortably. There was a pause, and then Ino snorted.

"Temari's hosting it, isn't she." She didn't bother to make it sound like a question.

"Yeah." Shikamaru scuffed his toe. "Look, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"I do," Ino said in a menacing voice. Shikamaru sounded like he was regretting telling Ino about the party by now. Tenten and Sakura exchanged a look. Hinata looked at both of them, and all three knew that trouble was coming.

"Great. Uh. I'll call," Shikamaru said hurriedly. Tenten, Sakura, and Hinata hurriedly jumped back from the door just in time for Shikamaru to scurry through it and down the steps, looking like he had Hades himself on his tail. They crept back into the room warily.

Ino was sitting on the bed, having yanked out her ponytail messily. Her white-blonde hair pooled around her shoulders in a mini-afro. Her face was in her hands.

"Ino…?"

"Leave me alone," she muttered.

Tenten sighed. "You're so stupid. Isn't it obvious what you should do?"

Ino glared at her. "Like you're an expert on guys."

"I'm not," Tenten said calmly. "But if he's your friend, then you should talk to him. Go to the party and enjoy yourself. He thought to invite you at least, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but it's not like he asked me to go with him," Ino muttered.

"Yes, because he has a girlfriend!" Tenten shouted, exasperated. "If you're too busy wallowing in self-pity to actually let him know that you're hurt, then be my guest!"

Sakura laughed. "Wow. I never knew you had the angry-pep-talk speech in you, Tenten! I always thought that was more my thing."

"Yes, well, living with you has got to rub off on me somehow," Tenten snapped. Sakura laughed again.

"You know…I think she's right," the pink-haired girl said slowly, a smile spreading on her face. "And we could go with you."

"Say what?" said Ino.

"S-Sakura-san is right," Hinata said. "You'll f-feel better if you're n-not alone, right, Ino-san?"

"Well…"

Ino hesitated.

"Hey, if we help you get your guy, it's not like you can complain," Sakura smirked.

"You know, you're the spitting image of the Uchiha baby when you do that," Ino remarked. Sakura's confident expression changed to one of immediate surprise. She reached up to touch her mouth.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Really, you guys really resemble each other sometimes." Ino paused. "You know that thing they say about married couples growing to look like each other over the years…?"

"We're not married," Sakura said stiffly, her cheerful mood instantly gone.

"You will be," Ino said matter-of-factly.

And since Sakura couldn't actually prove her wrong about this one, (even the pink-haired smart mouth couldn't see the future, and maybe just a little, a very, very little, she wanted it to happen), she did not deny it.

--

**A/N: Yay! Please review!**


	12. The Partygoers

**A/N: Yay! Over 100, as Chocochip Haruka noted. Thank you so much everybody!**

**Yay to all the people who are lovers of algebra, (you don't get too many of those) and those who take band. I play flute and tenor saxophone of current, and I used to play piano, (like most kids, I whined until my mom let me stop, lol.) But I can't sing to save my life…xD**

**--**

**Day 12**

**--**

Tenten now realized that she had always been quite, _quite_ sure that she did not like Ino.

At all.

This fact was only enforced when Ino made them go out shopping with her one day, with absolutely no explanation at all. Tenten, looking back, could not quite pinpoint the reason that she had agreed to go at all. Of course, she regretted it.

Once out, Ino had happily explained that if they were going to go to a party, then they might as well go in the right clothes. Sakura had rolled her eyes. Tenten had blanched in horror. Hinata had shrugged submissively, and decided to hand herself over quietly.

It turned out that Ino was in her zone at the shopping mall, (gee, who knew?). Even the bored-looking clerks behind the counters seemed to try a smile as she came up to check out. Or maybe Tenten was letting her imagination go. It wasn't so much a girl's afternoon out as it was Ino shopping and the rest of them trailing uncertainly after her.

The blonde was a shopping whirlwind.

After an entire afternoon out shopping, they sat down to rest their blisters in the food court. Ino was the only one who bought food: takoyaki dripping sauce and a cup of suspicious-looking wasabi. Tenten had brought a squished PB&J. Hinata had a pack of crackers and a bottle of water. Sakura came up empty-handed.

"You done yet?" Tenten asked tiredly, inclining her head towards the pile of bags next to Ino. She had to yell, however, to be heard above the noise. Ino smiled and nodded happily.

"Good God, woman," Sakura rolled her eyes, and turned to rest her head on her chin and people watch. It was more the other way around: all the passing people were throwing her wary glances. A few of the guys raised their eyebrows and winked at her. Sakura threw the same bored expression back at all of them.

The other three ate in a sullen silence, as they couldn't really make themselves heard anyways above the din. Ino was the only one who seemed to be truly enjoying herself, and though they might complain as they would, the girls all kept their mouths shut. After all, they were the ones who had volunteered to go to this party with Ino.

Tenten officially decided that once her mother was back, Aki was going to make all of Tenten's decisions for her. Why? Because, Tenten thought wryly, she didn't seem to be making many smart choices herself.

O0O

"Tenten."

Somewhere in the back of her fuzzy, still-asleep mind, Tenten realized that somebody was calling her name, and that she should probably answer them. However, this part of her mind was very, very small at the moment, so she just rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Tenten." More urgent now. She sighed, and cracked open her eye, ungluing her eyelashes from the night's eye gunk.

"What?" she moaned.

"Shut up!" hissed the voice. Sakura's face cleared once Tenten blinked some more. She realized that it was still pitch dark, and that it had to be before the crack of dawn.

"What _time_ is it?" she moaned again, but this time more softly, trying to see past Sakura at the clock. Sakura shifted so that she blocked Tenten's view precisely.

"Okay, look," she whisper-hissed. "When that party comes around, we're going to get that Shikamaru boy and Ino hooked up."

"What?" said Tenten, surprised and now completely awake. "How? Why? What about Temari?"

"I know, I know," Sakura said impatiently. "I'll deal with Temari." She grinned, seeming to relish this idea. "I have my…ways. But rest assured, Ino's going to be with Shikamaru before you can plan their wedding." She paused for dramatic effect. "And you're going to help me."

"Me? Why me?!"

"Because, Hinata would never agree to it. And Ino's sort of the object of the plan. She has to stay oblivious to it. It works best that way."

"And you're choosing now to tell me all about this because…?"

"Well…" For the first time, Sakura sounded a little embarrassed. "I didn't want to risk being overheard. And. Well. This is the best time for talking when you don't want people eavesdropping on you."

Tenten sighed and snuggled in deeper under her blanket. "Right. Well. Goodnight."

"Yeah."

"Hey…wait a minute," she said slowly. Sakura turned back slightly in question. "Why are you so anxious to do this for Ino? I was always under the impression that you two hated each other." Sakura paused, seemingly to consider.

"I feel it's my duty to ensure that at least one of us gets a happy ever after. My chance went by, and I'm not getting a second one."

Tenten watched her with an odd expression of confusion. "Oh. Okay."

"Goodnight."

O0O

Saturday dawned as a cold sort of day.

The sky was a depressing shade of gray, crisscrossed by wisps of drearier pale black clouds: not thick enough for rain, but the air was unusually frigid and humid at the same time. Moisture was so thick that you could almost see it, and most definitely feel it.

Tenten was the first one awake, though this was nothing unusual. She immediately noticed that her toes were stiff, clammy, and probably about to fall off from frostbite. Shivering, her teeth chattering, she pulled the blanket tighter, and stuck out an arm to root for a pair of socks from under her bed, in the duffel. She found a pair of wool ones that she had knitted herself, (they looked a bit more like a lump of tangled yarn that real socks), and jammed her feet gratefully into them.

It was odd weather for summer, but Tenten didn't stop to ponder over it for long. She left the other three to their dreams, and happily had first dibs to use the bathroom. She hummed while she pulled her brown hair into the everyday buns. There was a tight ball of excitement building in her stomach.

Strangely enough, Tenten was actually looking forward to going to Ino's party. However much she tried to deny it, somewhere deep down she knew that she had formed a sort of bond, (or at least, an alliance), with Ino, Sakura, and Hinata. They were at a sort of universal, unspoken truce point.

She might have even called them "friends".

Nah.

In any case, today, she and Sakura shared a common goal for once. The idea of making Ino happy was not exactly revolting to Tenten, but it was not as appealing as making Ino miserable. However, she wasn't one to pass up a chance to make some mischief. Even if it meant stealing Shikamaru from his girlfriend for Ino's sake.

She shuddered, as suddenly images of everything that could go wrong flashed through her head. She had a moment where she skeptically considered why she had agreed to this in the first place. She would never have guessed that she would be doing this kind of thing over the summer.

And yet, here she was.

Tenten sighed, and finished tying her right bun into a tight knot, straightening her oversized pajama shirt a little. She stared at herself in the slightly dirty mirror. So _average_. It was perfect: there could be nobody on earth more invisible than Tenten was now.

In the other room, the annoying sounds of the alarm clock getting itself worked up penetrated the silence. Sakura swore loudly, Ino groaned, and Hinata hit the snooze button, as usual. Tenten found herself smiling as she waltzed back into the bedroom to get her party clothes.

This was going to get interesting, fast.

Ino blinked at her blearily, her blue eyes bloodshot as she pushed herself out of the bed. "You're up early," she sighed, yawning. Tenten nodded.

"Hey, it's your party," she reminded Ino when the blonde lay back down into the bed.

"It's not mine, it's Temari's," Ino moaned into her pillow. Tenten rolled her eyes and yanked off the blanket. Ino screeched loud enough to put banshees to shame and hugged her knees to her chest.

"It's cold enough to freeze a polar bear in here," she chattered.

"Exactly," Tenten said smugly. "Now get up."

Ino gave her a very hairy eyeball, and sat up, still shivering, reaching for her jacket that hung on the bedpost at a rather dejected looking angle. Hinata watched them with curious and humorous eyes. Sakura looked ready to throw something for being woken up at this ungodly time of the morning, her pink hair frizzing around her head.

She opened her mouth and growled for them to go do something very rude.

"You know, you volunteered to go with me," Ino said primly.

Sakura sighed. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm a person who keeps her promises." She climbed down from her bunk, and began rummaging through her trunk. Hinata quietly got up and stuck her feet into a pair of the complimentary type of hotel slippers, and slithered into the bathroom without any noise at all. Tenten was impressed. She knew for a fact that the third floorboard from the bathroom floor creaked if you so much as brushed it with your toe.

"Well?" Ino's impatient inquiry brought her back to earth.

"Huh?" she said intelligently.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" Ino said, as if Tenten had lost her mind, (this might have been quite true). "We are going to a _par-ty_, in case you don't know what that means, and you're hardly going to look presentable in your…are those even pajamas?" Ino wrinkled her nose at Tenten's baggy T-shirt and sweats. Tenten promptly turned around and ignored the blonde.

"What are you doing now?" Ino complained.

"Getting my clothes," Tenten said, grabbing the said items up and going to wait by the bathroom door for Hinata to finish.

Ino sighed as if her life were over, (it probably was, as she was bringing Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata to a party, and all of the three mentioned above were frequent large- party-goers).

"You could still back out," Sakura muttered .Ino shook her head.

"Not for the world. Now that I've started this, I have got to see what you three will look like dancing under a disco ball." Sakura smirked, and Ino was again struck by how much that upturned lip, the cynical glint in her eyes, reminded her of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Suit yourself. You're not going to see anything pretty," said the pink-haired girl.

O0O

They biked.

That is to say, the four of them got on mountain bikes, did not bother to strap on helmets, and rode in the very, very cold six O' clock weather down the freeway in their party clothes.

Tenten was not exactly flabby, and she was pretty in-shape. In-shape people usually had some kind of weird immunes to the cold, but Tenten had somehow missed that part of the package. She shivered and chattered even after her leg muscles ached with protest. She should have warmed up long ago from the exercise, but Tenten's body just didn't work that way when she needed it to.

She had put on a pair of black converse sneakers from home, jean capris, and a fitted black vest over a white button-up shirt that Ino had forced her into at the mall. Her buns were tied up with red ribbons. It was pretty nice clothing to ride in, but Tenten was resenting every moment of it.

She pitied Ino. Ino was in a pink miniskirt and a darker pink sequined tank top.

Temari's house was all the way on the other end of town, which meant five miles hard riding. They had nobody to drop them off, and anybody that might have done it, such as Ino's mother, would never consent to letting them go anyways. Therefore…they rode.

Sakura claimed that she had a driver's permit, but none of them were willing to test the truth of this statement. And there were no buses in a town like this, or taxis.

Ino said that there were a set of bike racks soon after they passed the five mile mark, and they turned into a darkened side alley gratefully. After locking up the bikes, they walked the remaining block. Tenten looked around at the surrounding houses curiously. They were all pretty good-sized: 3 stories, painted white, with prim looking rectangular windows and perfectly mowed green lawns.

It was obvious which one was Temari's. Many cars were blocking the street in front of the house, lights were all lit, and there was music pumping rhythms through the ground, and they felt the pulsing slightly beneath their feet.

Sakura whistled.

Temari's home was pretty large: much like all the other rich looking homes on the street, but grander somehow. Tenten immediately made the inference that Temari was pretty well off. At least, she was much better off than Tenten was.

Ino squared her shoulders and frogmarched up to the door. Her finger shook a little as she pressed the doorbell.

The music got louder as somebody opened the door.

The girl who stood in the doorway reminded Tenten a bit of Sakura. Her eyes were a slightly bluer shade than Sakura's shocking green: more of a hazel-blue, but they held the same mischievous, I-dare-you-to-come-any-closer glint. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into four pigtails, all miraculously spiky at the tips, and a confident smirk was pasted on her slightly tanned face. Her hand rested relaxed on her hip, where she wore the shortest miniskirt Tenten had ever seen and a pair of fishnet stockings.

"Ino," she said, in a sort of voice that sounded like it was used to sarcasm. It sounded strangely pleasant, coming from this girl.

"Temari," Ino said stiffly. "Hi."

"Come in," Temari said, though not a trace of welcome leaked into her voice. She eyed Ino and her pink outfit, all the way down to her high-heeled pink sandals and the high ponytail with the pink ribbon. Tenten, all of a sudden, felt a strange sense of protectiveness towards the platinum blonde.

Then she looked past Ino, and her eyebrows raised in an expression that was a cross between surprise and amusement, mixed in with resignation. Tenten had to admit, she did not blame Temari for this one. There stood Sakura, pink hair and all, all tied up into two spiked pigtails not much unlike Temari's under a Nightmare-Before-Christmas beret. She had three rings in her right ear, one of which was the shark tooth earring. She had a pair of pumps, red plaid, tied with a ribbon at the ankle, a pair of ripped jeans, and a top she had made herself by cutting up Tenten's bathrobe, (though she had promised to pay for it later). Various bangles ran almost to the crease in her elbow on both arms.

Slightly behind Sakura stood Hinata, who looked rather alarmed. There was a white headband in her hair, wide, with silver roses protruding from it. She was wearing a plain, pale-blue sleeveless shirt and a pleated black skirt, both seemingly too formal for this kind of party. Her shoes were close-toed dark blue fake suede. She looked like a lost college student or tour guide, not a party-goer.

Temari's eyes fell on Tenten, and Tenten instinctively crossed her arms and felt her face reddening as Temari raised her eyebrows at the buns, (Tenten was rather fond of her hair buns). She shook her head and raised her eyebrow higher at Ino.

"Right. Well. Don't keep just standing there." She moved aside.

The four of them trailed into the room single file, where the music was playing and the lights were multicolored, playing over all of the dancing and heaving bodies. Ino smiled, Hinata looked about ready to have her knees give out, and Sakura rolled her eyes. Tenten decided that she was never doing a favor for Ino again. Parties weren't her thing.

"Ino!"

The blonde turned to see Shikamaru walking towards them, two glasses of punch in his hands. He seemed genuinely happy to see his friend, the silver hoops in his ears winking in the light. He handed her a glass of punch, and threw a slightly dismayed glance at the three others. Tenten fidgeted.

"Er…they weren't invited, you know," Shikamaru said. "You're so troublesome."

Ino shrugged. "The more the merrier. Temari didn't seem to mind that much."

Shikamaru sighed. "Aiya."

"Want to dance?" Ino suggested. Before he could answer, she had dragged him off and they disappeared into the dance floor. Tenten watched them go, feeling very, very lost.

-

**A/N: The party will continue in the next chapter! (Literally.)**


	13. Tracing Palms

**A/N: I'm not really sure exactly where I'm going to end this story: I'm never really sure. I just kind of…write myself out. And then, once the story kind of concludes itself, I just…stop. I'm not really a fan of sequels, and they always turn out sucky whenever I try to write them, (most sequels are suckish).**

**--**

**Day 13**

**--**

Sakura nudged Tenten. Tenten ignored her.

"You want to make yourself useful?" Sakura drawled. Tenten glared at her. Hinata promptly pretended that she did not know them, and hastily made an excuse about going to get punch. She, too, was quickly swallowed into the moving crowd.

"How?" Tenten snapped. "I'm not accustomed to pushing my nose into other people's business, unlike you." Sakura smirked.

"Touchy, aren't we? I thought that we had an agreement."

Tenten was about to retort, and closed her mouth, thinking better of it. "Alright, alright. _Fine_." Sakura smiled. "But I hate you. Have I mentioned that already?" Tenten added.

"I can read it in your face," Sakura shrugged, like it did not bother her at all. "Doesn't matter. It's trivial whether you like me or not, tonight, we're working towards a better cause." Tenten snorted at Sakura's innocent expression.

"Uh huh. Cut the crap, and we're in business," she said.

O0O

Tenten was feeling…silly.

Not clown-in-a-pinstripe-suit silly. Not I'm-sugar-high silly. She was feeling this-is-ridiculous-and-my-pride-is-being-thrown-into-a-sewage-system-with-turtles-in-it type of silly. Why? Well, if you had a look at her, the explanation would be pretty simple.

Tenten was hiding under a table.

Well, it was more like two tables: Temari had put two long rectangular wooden desks together to form the snack table, loaded down with punch and junk food. A long, pale pink 2-ply polyester tablecloth covered it all the way to the floor, so at least it shielded her from view. But for _God's_ sake, Tenten was kneeling, all cramped up, under a table.

What had she done to deserve this?

Well, she'd been the one to agree to this, which made it that much worse. Oh, yeah, she was feeling another type of silly too: I-am-a-fool-that-has-been-cheated type of silly.

Honestly, she had no idea why she put up with this type of thing. Sakura might be intimidating, but she wasn't _scary_, (well. Maybe a little). So, somewhere _deep, __**deep**_down inside of Tenten, she must have wanted to help Ino. But that must have been so deep that if you sent a probe in there to find her soft spot for Ino, it might accidentally go through the other end of her.

She choked back the images of stomach surgery suddenly popping into her head, and pulled up the hem of the tablecloth a few millimeters off of the ground, every footstep near the table making her flinch. Her hands were shaking, even though she kept telling herself that she wouldn't get caught.

A few inches away from her was somebody wearing a pair of black pumas, though only one of the feet had an ankle sock visible. She assumed it was a guy. Next to him, though it was barely visible because she must have been on the other side, was some girl with dangerously-high red heels.

She tilted her head, and strained her eye to the other side. Two boys, both wearing high-top Converse, and a girl with flowery flip flops contrasting her cherry black toenails. At least…she hoped that it was a girl. _Five witnesses by the punch table_, she mentally wrote down.

It was hard to see straight ahead from her position, but she knew that it was just the dance floor. Ino and Shikamaru were no where to be seen, but Sakura would hopefully give her a signal if she spotted them.

Listening carefully through the loud beats of music thrumming through the floorboards, Tenten decided that nobody would notice if she crept out the other side of the table, so very silently, though she doubted that anybody could hear her, she slid out from under the tablecloth…

A hand, dry, scaly, and icy cold, grabbed her bare wrist. A feeling like dry lint and ice being slid down her back came over her, and cold sweat popped onto her forehead. The feeling, she subconsciously paired with a face: a face with pale eyes and long, brown hair.

_Not here. Please, not here. _He _can't be here._

And, of course, it _was_ him.

"Neji-kun," Tenten rasped weakly. "What are you doing here?" _Why the Hell are you stalking me?!_

Neji was actually a very comical sight, amidst all of the hooting teenagers, he stood perfectly erect with a cold, dignified expression on his features, his long brown hair extremely out of place. His clothes were plain as ever. "You forget that you were arranged to come and meet me at the Compound tonight. I inquired your landlady as to your whereabouts, and she informed me of where you were."

"My landlady?" Tenten echoed. She hadn't told her where she would be, but it was no surprise that she knew anyways. Keeping secrets was difficult around here.

Neji nodded.

"But…we never really made a _schedule_ or anything," Tenten protested, yanking her wrist out of his grasp as she said it, and rubbing it furiously as if to make the lint sensation go away. Neji shrugged diplomatically, grunted, and folded his arms in front of his chest. Not much of an answer.

Tenten narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "_Are_ you stalking me?"

Neji raised his eyebrows. "Why would I wish to stalk you?"

"Well…I really don't know."

"Exactly." Neji paused, seeming to struggle with what to say, and then ended up with, "I was unsettled when you did not come."

"You were worried about me?" Tenten asked, surprised. Wow. Touching.

"Perhaps," Neji murmured vaguely. "Dark streets present many dangers. You always walk alone to my…home. It is not wise to do so after the sun is set. I thought that…maybe…with your luck, you had run into some sort of danger."

"Oh," Tenten muttered. "Well. You don't need to worry. I could probably whoop your ass at martial arts."

"I highly doubt that," Neji said complacently. "Now, what are you doing here when you should be with me?"

"I am with you," Tenten corrected, "But I wish I weren't."

Neji grunted. "Hn."

"Still, you shouldn't have just come to the party uninvited," Tenten chided. "It's bad manners. Once you found out from my landlady that I was safe, you really didn't have to actually check in on me."

"It is a habit," Neji said indifferently.

Tenten sighed. "Right. Want punch?" She resigned herself to the fact that he was actually there, standing in front of her, and that wishing he would just go away was not going to make it actually happen. She handed him a brimming cup of red stuff with ice floating in it. Neji took it, but did not drink.

"So…what do you want to do?" Tenten suggested hopefully, at the same time searching for Ino and Shikamaru out of the corner of her eye. She hoped she wasn't crossing her eyes by accident. Sakura should have managed to find them by now…

"I will find someplace quiet," Neji said thoughtfully, and without another word, melted into the crowd. Tenten sighed. Her life really did suck.

At that moment, she heard a familiar giggle behind her, and she whirled. Sakura was making faces at her, leading a bubbly Ino and a bored-looking Shikamaru towards the table. Tenten hurried to hide.

Sakura smiled at Ino, and flexed her fingers in anticipation. Before going to fetch the two friends, she had told Temari that the punch bowl was empty, (a total lie), and she should have gone to get more to refill it. She would be arriving at the table any minute now. Five witnesses.

Just as Shikamaru got Ino some punch and was about to hand it to her, Tenten reached out from under the table and tripped him, so that he stumbled into Ino. His arms went around her with the momentum of the fall, she reached out to catch him somewhat…they stumbled a few paces…and their lips accidentally met when Ino at last stumbled backwards into the wall. It looked quite romantic, though Ino was dripping with red punch. Everybody turned to stare…

And of course, Temari walked in on the scene just as planned.

Her eyes widened, and she dropped the 2-liter Hawaiian Punch bottle she was holding. The plastic exploded all over the floor and her feet.

"You…" she whispered. "Shika…?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Temari…it's not what you think…!"

Ino looked a bit dazed, but she wasn't bothering trying to explain what had happened to Temari. She looked, instead, like the cat who had caught the fattest canary, still with her back to the wall and caged within Shikamaru's outstretched arms. Shikamaru hastily let her go when he realized that he was still holding her.

"You know what? Get out," Temari said softly.

"Temari…"

"Out."

"Please!"

"Get. _Out._ Nara Shikamaru, this is my house, and I will say who has the right to stay in it," Temari hissed, her eyes flashing, her finger pointing towards the door.

Resigned, Shikamaru dragged his feet, and his back soon vanished out of the door. All the guests were solemn, quiet and still while the pumping beats of the DJ still blasted through the room. Temari waved a hand at them, and they all, rather reluctantly, went back to dancing.

Ino's electric blue eyes met Temari's muddy hazel, the platinum blonde's eyes wide with surprise and now, a slight trace of guilt, Temari's livid with hatred.

"How long?" she demanded.

"Wha…no, he just ran into me just now," Ino said, the honesty in her voice transparent. Much as she still despised Temari, she wouldn't lie just to make her even more miserable than she was already.

"I'm not buying the crap," Temari snapped.

"It's the truth. If you don't believe me, then that's your choice," Ino said stiffly. And then she too walked out of the door.

Sakura and Tenten glanced at each other from opposite sides of the punch table.

Just then, Hinata and Neji made their way through the crowd, having run into each other. Hinata was looking rather stunned that her cousin was here; Neji was looking annoyed that Tenten had dragged Hinata along with her.

"Tenten, what is going on?" he demanded icily.

Tenten shook her head at Sakura. Hesitantly, she braced herself and took Neji's callused palm in hers and dragged him towards the door. "C'mon, Neji-kun. We don't want to get involved in this." She wanted to run and run and run and never have to see Temari's stunned, hurt face again. Everything had gone just as planned…but now regret burned deeply into her stomach. Now _everybody_ was unhappy.

"Tenten…" Neji warned. She tightened her grip on his hand, though the texture still was creeping her out.

"You said I was due at the Compound tonight, right?" she said in a clipped voice. "Well then, let's go."

"Stop." She did, however much she didn't want to obey him. He took her wrist in his other hand and turned her around, his pale eyes serious.

"What is bothering you? You seem saddened by something."

Of course. She could tell Neji. Neji didn't judge people, at least not the normal way. He might even have an inkling of how guilty Tenten felt. She had never done anything remotely close to this in her life.

"We…we tried to make Ino happy and get her and Shikamaru together," she said. "So…we made it look like they were kissing and Temari walked in and Shikamaru and her broke up, so now Ino can get together with him." She bit her lip. She was explaining all of this to a guy like _Neji_. This was so weird.

"Anyway…it was stupid." She sighed. "Now everybody's depressed."

Neji eyed her distressed expression carefully. With horror, Tenten realized that her eyes were wet. She blinked rapidly several times, but that didn't stop the first tear from slithering its slow way down her cheek. She didn't think she had ever been more embarrassed in her life.

She made to wipe at her face with her other hand. Neji released her wrist, and she scrubbed at her face for a moment. She tried to smile at him, though it must have looked rather grotesque because her eyes were pink and puffy.

"Regret is torture," Neji said quietly, calmly. He didn't seem embarrassed that she was crying, not like most people would be. He didn't shy away from her.

"Yeah, I'll say," Tenten muttered.

He took her hand again when she was finished wiping her face, and held it palm up so that she could see the lines in her palm. "Do you see?" he asked matter-of-factly. She shook her head at him.

"Your hand has the power to do many things, many are good. Many are bad. But most are somewhere in between the two: things that will hold both regret and triumph, joy and all the sadness." He traced the spindly-thin lines that splashed across her palm, so gently that it tickled: as if he were a palm reader.

Finally, he looked up at her. Tenten was utterly lost at this point. Neji didn't seem like he belonged in this century. He didn't seem to fit in with skyscrapers or cars or just the_ people_ in this generation. He seemed like something out of the medieval times. She realized, with a pang, that this was what made her intrigued with him: he didn't think the same way that other people did. He was a release from her twentieth century troubles.

"Tenten, you are not a _bad_ person," he said solemnly, with conviction. Tenten didn't for a moment consider that he was lying: he actually believed that she wasn't a brat, wasn't nasty, and was a good, selfless person. His paradigm of the world was so warped.

She had to laugh. "Yeah, right. I'm the ideal saint."

He didn't laugh, but his lips curved up slightly at the corners, and his index finger stroked the back of her hand, just once from the knuckle to the wrist bone, before he let go. "Yes. You are not like other people." He scrutinized her carefully for a moment, before starting to walk down the street. When she didn't follow him, he made a beckoning motion of his hand.

"Come. I will take you home."

Tenten had to smile at this. She wasn't looking forward to another long bike ride, and right now, she wasn't feeling very charitable towards Sakura. Sakura could bike.

"What about Hinata?" she inquired.

Neji paused. "It is alright. I will tell Hiashi-sama to pick her up later."

"Oh. Okay." And she followed him, golden pools of streetlamp lights spilling at their feet.

O0O

Neji's room was pitch dark when Tenten walked into it.

He walked in behind her, and he flipped the light switch that had eluded her. At night, his room seemed very different from the depressing afternoons that she had spent there. The light lit up the room in golden warmth, and his sofa actually seemed inviting. She flopped down into promptly, propping up her feet and sighing in relief.

"You seem at home here," Neji observed, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh. Sorry. Would you prefer me to sit?" Tenten said apologetically, taking his tone for sarcasm, and sitting up.

"No, it's alright. It is no matter to me what you do."

She believed him. Neji was a very distanced person. The little things that ordinary people worried about didn't seem to reach him as very important at all.

"So…what do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Neji shrugged. "Hn."

"Tell me about your family," Tenten suggested.

"They're dead," Neji replied flatly. Tenten was taken aback. _They're all dead?_

"Really?" It seemed like the wrong thing to say, but Neji nodded like he didn't really care, though she could see the flash of pain in his eyes. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"The pain is not so bad anymore," he replied.

"Do you miss them a lot?"

He paused. "I used to, when I was smaller. Now, I only grieve for my father." His eyes hardened. "If it were not for Hiashi-sama, he would be here and not in the ground."

"How is it Hiashi-san's fault?" Tenten asked, surprised. "Wasn't your father his brother, since you're his nephew?"

"Yes. They were twins, in fact," Neji said bitterly. "I do not wish to discuss it."

"Fine," Tenten said. After all, it was his dead father.

They sat in the same awkward silence as they had in the first few times that Tenten had visited. She curled and uncurled her toes a few times. Neji sat, staring out of the blindfolded window, through which an almost-full moon was visible, shining brilliantly grey-silver in the middle of an ebony-black sky.

"Neji-kun, why is your hair so long?" Tenten blurted out of nowhere, after staring at his hair for five very long minutes, (there really was nothing else to do).

Neji turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised. "No particular reason."

"Why don't you cut it, then? Isn't it a bother?"

Neji shrugged. "It is comfortable like this. I have kept it long since I was very small. It would be odd for it to be cut." He eyed her. "How long is your hair?"

Tenten realized that he must have never seen her with her hair down before. Smiling slightly, she undid her buns and let her mouse brown hair fall. It reached just a tad past her shoulders, curving out on top from being in the buns so long. She shook it out in slight annoyance, until it looked like it was supposed to: straight and shiny.

"That answer your question?" she said.

"Hn." Neji stared at her for a moment, before turning back to watching the moon.

After an hour had elapsed, once again with Tenten really doing nothing but picking at the seams of the couch, she stood. "Better get going."

At first, it appeared that Neji had either not heard her, or was choosing to ignore her. He sat, stiff as ever, his pale eyes smaller images of the full moon. She shrugged and walked towards the door. She didn't hear Neji stand, but he must have, for he was suddenly beside her at the doorway. She flinched.

"I will walk you home," he said quietly and with assertion.

And Tenten had to smile.

-

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry about the long update…school kind of got in the way…**


	14. Crimson Brushes

**A/N: Wow, school is so awesome!! (Yes, I'm nerdy like that…I actually ENJOY school…-gasp-). Language arts is KILLING ME SLOWLY but the rest of my subjects are pretty cool, especially drawing and music and PE, (I rarely like PE, as I have about as much hand eye coordination as a cow, but this is an exception.)**

**Anyway, enough babbling. Here's the chapter.**

**--**

**Day 14**

**--**

Tenten awoke slowly and unwillingly the next morning.

It was a bit like the famed hangover: you spent the night high as a kite, and then you woke up with a headache that could kill the grim reaper.

Except Tenten had no headache: she had more of a stomach-heart ache combo. It wasn't the type you could take Tylenol for. Grimly, she staggered into the bathroom and changed in a trance, accidentally poking herself in the gum with her toothbrush when she started to rinse.

Sakura didn't speak a word, as she was next to get up. She acted as if Tenten were not there. The only sign she made that she knew Tenten was a person and not a ghost, was to ask very quietly for the toothpaste.

The meek Sakura scared Tenten even more. Sakura just didn't do _meek._

Hinata was quiet too when she woke up a few minutes later, (they heard her stretching and yawning), but that wasn't anything unusual. The raven-haired girl stared solemnly at them with her big opal eyes, almost like the almost-lonely stare of a basset hound, (the fact that her eyelids were drooping added to this factor).

"T-Tenten-san…" she yawned, "…don't you t-think you should apologize t-to Ino-san? She's really-"

"Yeah, I will," Tenten said absently, patting Hinata's shoulder absently as she went out of the bathroom. She glanced over at Ino's bunk: the blankets were pulled over all the way, so that no human skin was shone. She sighed, and pulled on the Nikes.

"I'm going for a jog," she called. Nobody bothered to answer.

In the silence, the creak of the door opening was deafening.

O0O

She soon tired herself out.

Tenten wasn't much of an aerobic exercise enthusiast. In everyday language, this meant that even though she probably should have been keeping herself in shape by doing more jogging and less skateboarding, especially since she did martial arts…she usually just slacked off and ate popcorn while watching TV and her mother scolded her to deaf ears.

She collapsed lazily onto a chipped-green painted park bench facing a street close to the freeway, sweat plastering tendrils of her brown hair to her forehead, the soles of her feet squelching uncomfortably in her sneaks even through the socks in pools of her own sweat, (she winced at this mental image), harsh pants escaping through her nose and every wheeze feeling like iron wool was scraping against her lungs.

Soon, the rapid pounding of her heart slowed slightly, and she sighed gratefully as the cool morning air started to take an effect on her sweaty body. She squinted up at the rising sun: it was well past 10 now, at least, she decided. The early morning work rush was long gone, and the air was definitely warmer than it had been when she had started to run.

Getting up and testing her legs, which were red-looking from all the blood that had rushed into them, she glanced around her casually. A couple of passing people smiled nonchalantly at her, not a care in the world, and she returned an equally pointlessly grin, massaging her tired shins, mopping her hair out of her face.

Bored, and on sudden inspiration, she checked the name of the street, and decided to go and visit the Hyuuga compound. It wasn't far from this street: a left turn and two blocks plus another right turn, and then three blocks, if she remembered correctly. She sighed, and picked up her pace to a comfortable jog again.

Hyuuga Hiashi looked rather surprised to see her on his doorstep so early, particularly in such a sweaty state. He eyed her almost balefully, his expression emphasized by the harsh lines of his aging face and the wide pale eyes, which never failed to express any type of emotion, but hid them even better. She merely smiled vaguely up at him.

"Er, I'm sorry to intrude," she began without a hint of regret in her voice, "But I thought that it might be alright for me to visit Neji-kun?"

Hiashi sighed, resigning himself to the fact that she was actually here, and let her inside with an air not unlike one of a father eyeing his daughter's first boyfriend on his doorstep on prom night.

Hanabi didn't seem irked to see Tenten. Instead, her pale, small features brightened where they had been dull a moment before. She grinned widely, a cap sewn with coca cola bottle caps perched on her head at a jaunty, kid-like angle. "Tenten!"

Tenten was surprised by this warm welcome. Hanabi had always seemed like the sullen, sarcastic type to her, albeit in a likeable way. The bottlecap collecting habit, ever present, made her even odder, but at the same time, more likeable. Hesitantly, she grinned back, unsure of herself, and allowed the younger girl to lead her to Neji's room, though she already knew the way.

Tenten couldn't help but notice how much Hinata and Hanabi resembled each other: much like the rays of the sun and the sparks of fireworks. She smiled. How fitting. Hanabi's brilliance, imbedded into her skill with martial arts and the bottlecap collection, was out there for everybody to see: colorful and boastful, just like her namesake the fireworks. Hinata was quieter, and her light was harder to see: next to Hanabi, she seemed colorless, much like how you could never quite stare at the sun.

After a moment of this train of thought, Tenten was surprised at herself for being so philosophical. It wasn't like her: she had always had her head firmly down on earth instead of up in the clouds, as Hinata sometimes seemed. Perhaps the raven-haired girl was rubbing off on her.

For once, Neji was not actually in his room when Tenten arrived. Hanabi poked her head in, and then withdrew it, shrugging in the way that only young children can. "Hm. That's weird. Go on in…I'll see if I can find him for you," she offered helpfully.

After a muttered thanks, Tenten sat herself down on the now familiar couch, picking at a piece of lint. Neji's room without him seemed strangely incomplete: she had grown accustomed to seeing him across from her in that stiff-backed chair. She had, at one point, contemplated the idea that he might have been glued to that chair.

It didn't take long for Hanabi to return. Neji was in tow, scowling. He glared at Tenten, rather balefully, not unlike Hiashi. Tenten smiled at this resemblance. Hanabi rolled her eyes at Neji, though only Tenten could see, and mouthed "good luck" to her, vanishing out of the doorway.

"What do you want?" Neji growled.

"Did I interrupt something?" Tenten asked, surprised at the truly angry note in his tone.

"Yes," Neji said stiffly. "I was in the middle of my morning training."

"You train every morning?" Tenten asked, surprised. "Sorry."

Neji sighed. "I suppose it will have to be alright, now that you are already here. It seems that Fate is in a punishing mood for me today."

Tenten was about to laugh at this statement, and then uncertainly stopped herself, realizing that she wasn't quite sure if he was actually joking or not. Neji raised an intrigued eyebrow at her. "Tenten, why are you here?"

She shrugged. "I…guess I needed somebody to talk to."

An odd glint worked itself into Neji's pale eyes, almost as if he were…._amused_. Tenten stared at him, bemused. Neji's lips twitched. "I was under the impression that you were coming here only because you were being paid to talk with me, the insane Hyuuga."

Tenten laughed lightly. "Well, that's changed. You're not as bad as you would lead people to believe."

"Hn," Neji shrugged. "I dislike loud company."

"So you don't like me," Tenten said.

Neji raised his eyebrow. "Well, I mean, I'm loud," Tenten said to clarify.

"No, you are very different," he said slowly, as if tasting the words as they came out of his mouth, trying them on his tongue. "In fact, you are so different from all the other people that I have met, that I might compare you to myself." He waited for her reaction, staring at her with wide, serious white eyes.

Tenten laughed again. She found it easier and easier to let herself be amused by him, even when he wasn't trying to be funny.

"Great. So I'm a freak," she summed up. Neji growled in frustration while she laughed again.

"You have the oddest way of contemplating what others say," he finally said, after she had finally gotten the mirth under control.

"Do I?" Tenten asked, confused. "I didn't think so. Compared with you, anyways. You're so cynical."

"Cynical…?"

She snorted. "Oh, come on, you've never gotten that one before?"

Neji's eyes were glinting chips of ice. "Nobody has ever dared…but you are not everybody else, as I am learning."

"Nope," Tenten said airily. She had already come across the conclusion that Neji was not somebody that most people usually crossed, but in her opinion, a little argument and defiance would be good for his blown up ego.

"You are impertinent," he noted coldly. Tenten smiled a very fake smile showing all of her teeth. "You are also very unladylike," Neji noted even more icily.

"Like I care," Tenten laughed. "Ladylike is the last thing I've ever aspired to be. Now, if you tried telling Ino that, she'd probably slap you."

"Ino…?"

"The blonde one." Tenten sobered up immediately, memories of the night before swimming slowly into her head.

"Ah." He didn't say any more, as if he understood the personally torment that she was undergoing.

"You know what? I think I have to go," Tenten said quietly, standing up, and dusting herself off when there was nothing to clean, (Neji's room, as always, was spotless). Neji stood also, for once instead of ignoring her, and nodded briefly.

"Yes. Perhaps that is best."

She walked out of the door without another word.

O0O

"Look, Ino…I'm really, really sorry about what happened last night."

Those were the first words that Tenten blurted out of her mouth as soon as she pushed the door open to the dorm, and in the back of her head, a small voice said that it sounded almost like some kind of lover's line fro ma cheesy old romance movie. She shook that feeling off.

"Go away," Ino moaned from beneath the covers.

Tenten strode over and tore the blankets off. Ino's eyes were bloodshot, the eyelids rimmed with red, when she glared furiously up at Tenten. "Leave me _alone, _jerk. Haven't you done enough?"

"Give it a rest," Sakura called. She was no where in sight. Tenten realized after a moment that she was crouched behind her bed, rifling through her duffel. "She's not talking to anybody right now." This fact didn't seem to bother her at all, and she plugged in her iPod seemingly without a care in the world. Tenten envied her so much that it made her ache on the inside.

"Look, Ino," she repeated again, even though Ino had pulled the blankets back over her head when Tenten had turned to look for Sakura. "I know what I…_we_," she glanced pointedly over in Sakura's direction, and the pink-haired girl promptly ignored her, "…did was wrong, but you have to understand that we were only trying to help you."

"Help?" Ino sat up so fast that she nearly did a head-slam with Tenten. "Are you kidding me? Now Shika _hates_ me, and worse, Temari's pissed and she's probably out for vengeance! How, exactly, does this help? So I got my kiss: what good does that do when Shika didn't even want to kiss me in the first place?"

Tenten sighed. "I said I was sorry already, right?"

"But that doesn't make anything better! Or make it any less your fault that everything is _ruined_!" Ino screeched so loud that Tenten winced and took a step back so that the bed took her knees out from under her and she sat down on her bunk. Vaguely, she realized that the four of them were lounging around in each other's beds a lot more often without squabbling.

"But we can _make_ it better," Tenten said quietly.

"How?" Ino demanded. "I'm listening."

"Okay, so this is totally Sakura's and my fault," Tenten began. Sakura made a sound of protest, which she promptly ignored. "So, we're going to fix it."

The words were coming out of her mouth as if she had memorized a speech beforehand, and Tenten honestly did not know if it was herself speaking anymore. It sounded like somebody else, but at least Ino was staring at her avidly, wanting a solution so badly that it was almost tangible in the air.

"Now, if we all work together…"

O0O

"…we can totally fix this."

Once again, the four of them found themselves sitting on the floor at night, in a circle, huddled together in a mass of comforting blankets around a single beam of bright light from the lonely-looking flashlight sitting in the middle of their group.

Hinata looked positively spirit-like in the glow of the light. Her pale eyes seemed to be sunken deep into her drawn, pale features, the black hair only adding to her ghostly appearance. A splash of light, almost like a glowing scar, stretched from her jaw to the corner of her right eye.

"You know what…" Ino murmured. She smiled cockily, seemingly starting to get over her depression phase, "…while we're fixing my love life…why not everybody else's too?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura said, even though her tone implied she knew exactly what Ino was edging at.

"I _mean_," Ino said eagerly, "Let's get the Uchiha baby back with Sakura, and let's get blockhead Naruto to realize that he's _not_ after Sakura, and that he is actually madly in love with Hinata."

"Ino-san!" Hinata protested, her face flushing up to the hairline. "I c-couldn't possibly do something l-like that."

Tenten raised her eyebrows. "No thanks, Ino. Schemes are the reason that we've landed ourselves in this position."

"Yes, but these ones won't go _wrong_," Ino insisted. She eyed Tenten. "Isn't there anybody you'd like to hook up with?"

"Hell no," Tenten said firmly.

Sakura glared vehemently at Ino. "And I do remember saying that I have no interest in Uchiha Sasuke."

Ino brushed that off quickly.

"You know, we're stuck here for an entire summer," she reminded them. "We've got to have something to amuse ourselves with." Sakura popped something into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"What's that, jelly beans?" Ino demanded.

Sakura laughed. "Well, the brand is 'magic beans' and I bought them at the CVS down the street. You want some?" She tossed a few brightly colored chewy beans into Ino hand, and as a second thought, handed Tenten and Hinata both a few too. "I used to eat these all the time as a kid."

"Wow, no wonder your teeth are so yellow," Ino commented dryly.

Sakura ignored her easily.

"So…are you guys in?" Ino prodded.

Tenten sat there, staying silent like the rest of them. Images of teepeed trees and screaming girls and candlelit dinners flashed through her mind like a slideshow: Hinata would be so happy if Naruto loved her. And Sakura…and she could fix the problems with Ino. For a moment, the image of her three comrades laughing with the guys, sitting in some expensive restaurant downtown while Tenten sat outside in the chill, shivering and lonely, ran through her head, but she quickly pushed it away. Tenten was going to remain single, and that was that.

"Don't hold me to my word about this, but I think I'll give it a try," Tenten said slowly. "But if I want out, then I get out." Ino turned to Sakura. The pink-haired girl shrugged.

"Sounds fun."

Hinata glanced anxiously around at all of them. "Oh, come on, you know you want to," Sakura taunted. Hinata gave an almost inaudible sigh, and then, twiddling her fingers, murmured her assent. Ino smiled.

"Great. I've got just the thing we can do tomorrow morning."

O0O

Tenten, in a small part of her mind, knew that she was dreaming.

_A voice, deep and echoing, scaring her and making her heart pound fast…but at the same time, strangely pleasant and comforting._

'_Tenten, you are not like other people.'_

She frowned, and turned over, willing herself to wake up.

_She was surrounded by red, and if she looked closely, she could see brush strokes all around…like a giant painting. Her fingers touched the paint, and it, which had been dry a moment before, dripped sickeningly over her fingers._

'_I want to wake up,' she thought to herself, and squeezed her eyes shut tight._

The Tenten in the real world, who was still soundly asleep, tossed, and then kicked up her blankets, which landed with a dull thunk at the bottom of the bed.

_Somebody was behind her. Arms, too strong for her to break free from, like the iron bars of a prison, surrounded her…one bound her around the waist, the other stifled her scream. A wisp of long, brown hair…a flash of two blindingly white eyes…callused, dry hands._

Tenten lurched upright and hit her head on the top of the bunk, breathing hard. She winced, and rubbed the top of her head.

_Neji-kun._

-

**A/N: Okay, please tell me what you think!**


	15. Twister

**A/N: Top'o'the mornin' to ya!!**

**Er. That's….weird. –shakes head- Ignore that.**

**Anyways, thanks for the reviews! I have a tendency to prefer minor pairings rather than the "main item", if you will. As it is, my favorite pairings are actually Gaara and Matsuri, as well as Suigetsu and Karin, and they're not even IN this fiction, xD. I also have a soft spot for SasuSaku, as you people probably realized. NaruHina was my original, first pairing shipping of Naruto, so I still love that. And NejiTen is just plain…awesome. And it's a minor pairing, so obviously, I love it, xD.**

**Well, if my rambling bores you, then please just skip right ahead to the chapter. (And if Tenten's dreams don't make sense….don't worry too much about it. They're not supposed to make sense. Well. They're supposed to make sense but in a not-making-sense sort of way. –is pummeled to death by pitchforks by angry, confused reviewers-)**

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**Day 15**

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Summer is known as the "hot" season.

Well, I suppose if you live in Australia, then it would be the "cold" season. But for the general gist of it, summer equals hot.

So why did Tenten wake up drenched in cold sweat every morning?

She knew perfectly well; living in a room with Ino was going to make her age fifty years mentally every, single night. She wouldn't be surprised if she found a white hair sticking out of her scalp the next time she combed her hair, (the last time her tresses had come into contact with a comb had been some while back).

The feeling of sheets sticking to her arms and glued there by her own sweat made Tenten feel disgusted with herself. She was having nightmares about _Hyuuga Neji_. Granted, he was mental, but that didn't make it okay for her to be so freaked out by the idea of him that her subconscious decided to step in and make her _dream_ about him as well!

She decided to open her eyes right then, blinked, and then blinked again, harder, in disbelief.

On the little tabletop by her, along with the alarm clock and the phone, were four rolls of toilet paper: the thick, soft kind that came in huge packages of 18 or more.

She blinked again, and realized that there was a neat row of toilet paper rolls stacked along the floor, too, in the shape of a pyramid with three levels: there had to be twenty more rolls at least. Dreading what she would see when she turned over to the other side, she rolled over and was faced with Sakura's impish looking expression, her face all innocent looking, her chin resting on Tenten's bed. Tenten flinched, very involuntarily.

"Ohayo," the pink-haired girl said cheerfully.

"What the Hell's going on?" Tenten replied in a, (at least she thought so), very calm voice.

Sakura's thin, pale pink lips twisted slightly into the smile of an angel, albeit one with pink hair.

"Oh, I'm not sure you'd want to know," she said slowly. Damn right, Tenten didn't want to know, but if Sakura didn't tell her right then, Tenten would happily wring that girl's stringy little neck!

Tenten grunted.

"Right," Sakura laughed mischievously. "I gotta give it to Ino…this is probably the best idea she's ever had in that empty blonde head of hers."

"I heard that!" a muffled voice called. Tenten assumed that Ino was in the bathroom.

Ignoring Sakura, she called over the cherry-haired girl's shoulder, "Hinata! What are they up to?"

The raven-haired girl peered blearily at Tenten as she sat up, scratching the top of her head slightly, and shrugged, yawning. "It's s-so early," she sighed. "W-What are you all d-doing up?"

"Well, I would have been sleeping in if pinkie hadn't destroyed my rest," Tenten grumbled. Sakura raised a thin, perfectly arching eyebrow. Tenten wished that her eyebrows looked like that.

"Sleeping? You were _screaming_," Sakura said, obviously relishing the expression of sudden horror that dawned on Tenten's facial expression. "Something about the Hyuuga." Her smirk grew wider, and Tenten had to admit that, while she believed Sakura's claims of not loving Sasuke, her smirk did look _identical_ to his.

"N-Neji-nii-san?" Hinata said incredulously, kicking off her blankets, and coming to sit on Tenten's bed.

"Yeah…well…"Tenten said intelligently, mentally smacking herself.

"I'll bet you have fantasies of him _every_ night," Sakura cooed, malice and glee leaking conspicuously into her tone. "I bet you think and daydream of your dear _Neji-kun_ all the time-"

"Sakura-san," Hinata interrupted her gently. "I d-don't think that's the c-case."

Tenten sighed and smiled at Hinata gratefully. The tone that Sakura had been teasing her in…it resembled the way that Sasuke had teased her, or maybe ridiculed, mocked her…that first time she had shown up on his doorstep. They were so alike sometimes that it scared Tenten.

"Yeah, the day that I think of Hyuuga Neji as a romantic interest is the day that snowballs stay intact when they're in Hell."

Hinata smiled slightly. "Neji-nii-san isn't _s-so_ bad once y-you get to know h-him a little better," she reasoned. "He used t-to be very k-kind to me when we w-were small."

"_Used_ to be?" Sakura questioned. Hinata shrugged slightly, diplomatic to the last degree.

"P-People change," she murmured. "He's different n-now, after Uncle Hizashi…p-passed away."

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, he mentioned that."

Hinata looked startled, even alarmed, like a deer in the headlights, when Tenten revealed this tidbit of information. "He d-did?" She said, her stuttering even worse than usual, ivory eyes huge. Tenten's eyebrows furrowed some more.

"Yes…" She could understand why Hinata might be uncomfortable about talking about how her own uncle had died, but her reaction seemed a bit strong, even for her.

"H-How much did h-he tell you?" she questioned faintly.

"Well…" Tenten didn't really want to say to Hinata that Neji blamed Hiashi for his own father's death. She shrugged. "…not much."

Perhaps Hinata saw something in Tenten's expression that she was hiding something, but Hinata was not the type of person who prodded, and so she kept quiet. Tenten glanced once more at the stacks of toilet paper, the perfect opportunity for a subject change.

"So, _are_ you actually going to say what this is about?" Tenten gestured.

Sakura shrugged. "Well, it's more fun if I keep you in suspense, isn't it?" She let her lips twist into a feral grin. Sakura was one of those people with sharp canines, almost as if she had fangs. The effect was almost comical.

Just as Tenten opened her mouth to demand what the toilet paper rolls were for, Ino barged out of the bathroom, one hand waving a frothing toothbrush and the other the empty toothpaste tube, her blue eyes livid as she garbled around the bubbles in her mouth about wasting toothpaste.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Tenten, stood, and began to happily argue with Ino.

O0O

The day passed without much going awry: it was the usual catastrophic arguing between Sakura and Ino, the usual solemn quietness that shouldn't belong to a teenage girl living in the 21st century from Hinata. The usual very bored, very annoyed, very _irked_ Tenten.

Shikamaru usually came by every few days to drop off flowers, or a card, or to tell Ino that her mother sent her love, or some other sweet, little trivial thing that always made Sakura smirk and Ino blush or be extra loudmouthed, (Tenten and Hinata hid in a corner and read books).

But, he didn't come by. And Tenten bitterly knew that she and Sakura were to blame.

However, Naruto and Lee _did_ stop by, along with _their_ buddies Kiba and Shino, (well, Kiba was a buddy, and Shino mainly just kind of looked creepy and followed them around as if to keep an eye on a few unruly boys). They quickly made themselves at home, though as usual, Shino didn't sit. He stood stiffly against the door, his mirrored sunglasses staring around at them all.

"'Sup?" Kiba grinned at Tenten, wolfishly. She rolled her eyes and plopped down next to them, Hinata coming timidly to join their circle. Sakura and Ino had gotten into a quarrel in the bathroom over something again. His eyes slid over to Hinata, his eyebrows raised.

"Who's she?"

"H-Hyuuga Hinata. Pleased t-to meet you!" She bowed hastily.

Kiba raised his eyebrows higher at Tenten. "Where'd you pick her up, eh?"

Tenten sighed and glared at Naruto. "Why'd you have to bring _him_ along? His mouth is even bigger than yours is, and _that_ is saying something indeed."

Naruto pouted. "Well, Inuzuka just _had_ to come," he said, whining.

Tenten smiled what she hoped was an apologetic smile at Hinata, and then turned to shoot an even more venom-filled glare at Naruto. "I hate you," she muttered. Kiba was still grinning wolfishly, almost stupidly, like a dog, his fang-like canines, even sharper than Sakura's, glinted over his bottom lip, his spiky brown hair a mirror image of Naruto's hairstyle.

"Where's Akamaru?" Tenten questioned, looking for the little white pup that Kiba was rarely seen without. Kiba shrugged.

"Big sis took him for a walk."

"Oh, how's Hana doing?" Tenten questioned. Though Kiba might be a jerk in every aspect, his older sister was actually quite likeable. Tenten and Hana got along on pretty good terms.

"Fine," Kiba said like he couldn't care less.

"Tenten-san, my Flower, what are we going to do today?" Lee questioned eagerly. Shino had now fixed his eyes on their little circle. Tenten squinted at him suspiciously. She had never quite gotten used to him.

"Oh, I dunno. You skateboard?" she turned to Kiba.

"I'm a fast learner," Kiba shrugged.

Hinata looked positively scared at the prospect of more skateboarding, and Tenten felt a bit sorry for her. "Or, we could play a board game?" she suggested weakly, knowing that the boys would never take that over a good, hard afternoon of skateboarding at the park.

Kiba looked at her like she was crazy. Naruto looked back and forth between Tenten and Hinata. Lee winked and gave her a thumbs up. Shino ignored her completely.

At that moment, it seemed that Ino and Sakura had finally finished their argument, because they came out of the bathroom, and stopped dead at the sight of their visitors. Even though it was late afternoon, Ino had never changed out of her pink pajamas, her blonde hair pulled hastily back into a messy ponytail, a strand of her bangs hanging into her face. Sakura was in a baggy old black T-shirt and a pair of neon green leggings, her feet bare to reveal purple-painted toenails.

"Er…hi," said Ino uncertainly, quickly reaching up to smooth down her hair. They were _boys_, after all, no matter how dorky.

Sakura snorted, rolled her eyes, crossed her arms. To be expected, Tenten noted dryly.

"Are you going out?" Sakura said, inclining towards the door. Tenten shot her an exasperated look.

"Well, I don't want to really leave Hinata here with you guys: I don't think she'll be in one piece once I'm back. But she doesn't want to go skateboarding either. I was thinking we could play a board game or something."

"Board games, my dear, are vastly overrated," Sakura sighed, but went to retrieve Tenten's board of Scrabble nevertheless.

Kiba shot Hinata a furtive look. "Alright, well, if Hinata here doesn't want to, then I guess I'll play." Tenten's eyebrows shot up into her hair. In all of the years that she had known Kiba, she had never seen him do anything thoughtful for anybody except perhaps Akamaru.

She glanced at Hinata, who was slightly pink, and then at Naruto, who was looking confused, (nothing new there). Lee shot her a nice guy pose and a kiss. She shuddered, and hastily sat down.

"Ino, you in?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the blonde sighed, facing the inevitable. "But can't we _not_ play Scrabble?"

"…Twister?" said Lee hopefully.

"Yeah, Lee, I'm sure you're Mr. Flexible," Ino said sarcastically.

"I bet I'm more flexible than you are," Sakura said smartly. Ino's electric blue eyes narrowed minimally.

"You're on."

A few minutes later, they had laid the plastic Twister mat onto the wooden floor, and stuck Shino with the spinner. He was looking rather bamboozled…or maybe it was just the effect of his face being covered by a huge collar, (Tenten had never seen one so _tall_ before…), and glasses.

"Okay, let's draw straws and see who goes first," Ino suggested. "We can go in pairs or something, so that it doesn't get too crowded. Or triads."

"Triads," said Sakura.

They drew. Sakura, Lee, Ino.

And Sakura _was_ so amazingly flexible that she looked like a noodle. At the moment, she had sat herself in the splits, and was bending backwards in a bridge to reach across the mat while Ino wobbled above her, (Lee had long since struck out, sitting pouting in a corner).

At last, Ino collapsed and blew the hair out of her face, seething at a triumphant, smug-looking Sakura. "You know what? Being that flexible has got to be illegal." Sakura shrugged and grinned.

They drew again, Ino and Sakura going to try and drag Lee back up to his feet.

Hinata, Kiba, Naruto.

Tenten should have foreseen some problems with this particular triad, but waved off the foreboding feeling in her chest.

Kiba grinned devilishly at Hinata, the type of grin that only a guy thinking he's hot can give to a girl, who flushed a faint pink, though nowhere near as red as she got when Naruto was around. The blonde grinned at her too, though in an utterly different manner: his was more the grin of an enthusiastic kindergartner first seeing his best friend in the morning type of grin.

Shino spun.

Hinata was a flexible person as well, perhaps even more so than Sakura, (Tenten was feeling her bones crack just watching the pair of them). She easily arched herself into a graceful bridge to snake around Kiba and Naruto, (Kiba was looking rather clumsy, but Naruto was doing alright…ish.)

"Right hand, red," Shino said glumly.

Naruto reached carefully across Hinata to put his palm on the free red spot, his tongue poking out from between his teeth. He smiled boyishly at Hinata. If they hadn't been on a Twister mat with Kiba also entangled with their limbs, it might have looked like one of those classic romantic scenes where the dashing hero sweeps the girl up for a kiss.

Hinata's face grew so red that it looked like there might have been steam coming off of it, her pale eyes wide and staring into Naruto's cerulean ones, his the tips of his blonde hair brushing against her cheekbones. Tenten gulped. _Oh…God…_

The _bloody two inches_ of proximity that kept Naruto from being pressed face to face with Hinata, far from making him nervous and uncomfortable, did not seem to bother him _at all_. While brushing off embarrassment was something about Naruto that Tenten envied, this was just plain _weird_.

Kiba was seething, which was predictable. Lee didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. Ino's blue eyes had widened and a wicked grin settled onto her lips. Tenten could imagine Ino munching popcorn and watching the three of them. Sakura didn't seem like she cared. Shino was bored-looking, (or maybe he was sadistically eyeing that moth that had just settled on the lamp. Who knew?)

And in the center of all of this tension, inside their own little happy bubble, were Naruto and Hinata. Well. Naruto practically gave off happiness like usual, and Hinata looked like she could fry an egg on her cheeks.

And then the tense silence was broken by the tactless Lee and Shino. Shino spun, his voice sounding like he was bored to the very last molecule, and Lee clapping loudly and cheering "Naruto-kun" on. Tenten sighed and put her face in her hands.

Later, she couldn't say if it had been in embarrassment, exasperation, or just plain old relief that Lee was a blunderhead.

-

**A/N: Yay, some NaruHina there…but no NejiTen…aww…But rest assured, the next chapter shall be very interesting –wink-.**


	16. Of Blackmail

**A/N: Okay, I haven't been keeping up with the Shippuden anime lately, and last night I started watching it again! I am reinspiried by the awesomeness of Neji and Tenten! (I love Tenten's shirt, lol. Her outfit is awesome. And Neji just got more PWNFUL. His hair will take over the world). And that moment where he saves Tenten from suffocation and he's holding her is so cute, xD.**

**Anyways, I know my rambling is creepy. But, as there are already way too many Sasuke fangirls in this world, I would think that Neji deserves some too, lol. (But I can't be one of them, simply because I am very bad at being a fangirl. I don't think it's in my blood xD).**

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**Day 16**

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Tenten had always considered herself as more of a nightowl than a morning-person. Sakura was both: sometimes, Tenten wondered if Sakura actually ever slept. Ino was neither: the blonde was early to bed and late to rise. Hinata was a chipper morning person: she had trouble staying awake at night and was usually up earliest.

When she was small and still had a few "girlfriends", she used to always be the one that stayed up latest at slumber parties and birthday sleepovers. All of the others would have dozed off before she fell asleep: Hana and Kin and Tayuya and Karin and all of the others that she had left behind.

She had never gotten along well with other girls: Naruto and Lee were so much more simple to understand. They didn't gossip behind your back, or laugh cruelly at you in front of everybody if you wore your shirt inside out by accident.

Looking back, Tenten couldn't pinpoint the exact day where she had stopped hanging out with the other girls at her middle school. It had just kind of happened: space had seemed to land between them and there was no more bridging of the huge gap. So, she had taken to Naruto and Lee and Kiba and Shino, and she'd been happy with them because they were her real _friends_.

Of course, she had never really been _mad_ at them. Hana, at least, was still her good friend. They had been an interesting bunch: especially Karin and Tayuya, both red haired, both very loud, both with attitude problems. Both, most likely, with just a wee bit of schizophrenia. Tenten had laughed with them and let them yell at her and yelled back at them and practiced her skateboarding with them and went to slumber parties together with them and…and…

In the end, here she was, alone with Naruto and co.

But back to the subject at hand.

Tenten had always been a night person, especially with her (almost) unhealthy addiction to all products caffeinated. But, she didn't appreciate being woken up at 3 AM in the morning.

When Sakura shook her shoulder and hissed her name into the dark, Tenten had to use all of her subconscious self control not to lash out and punch her right twixt the eyes.

Or maybe she was just too drowsy.

But that didn't stop her mouth. All the boys were loud, so Tenten had learned to adapt so that she could be heard over their ruckus. To make a long story short, she had the voice of a bullhorn when she wanted to.

"WHAT THE FRICKIN HELL?" she screamed. This was rather unusual of her: it sounded more like something Sakura or Ino might say. Tenten wasn't usually much of a curser.

"My God," Ino winced. "Shut up a bit, will you, Tenten?"

Tenten glared at her. Hinata had jolted awake at her outburst, her hands clutching the blankets and very, very pale.

"T-Tenten-san!" she stuttered. "Daijoubu?"

"Er…yeah," she muttered more quietly, shooting a venomous hairy-eyeball at Sakura, who shrugged carelessly and stood up straight.

"Let's go," she motioned.

"_Go_?" Tenten repeated, dumbfounded, still in her pajamas.

"Yes," said Sakura in the most matter-of-fact voice that she had, her green eyes shining mischievously. She motioned with her hand again. "Ikou. I presume that you're familiar with your own language?"

Tenten opened her mouth to argue even as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and then shut it again, noticing for the first time that all of the toilet paper was gone…and that Ino and Sakura both had bulging backpacks slung over their shoulders. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What exactly…?"

"Less talking, more walking," said Ino in a business-like manner, and pulled a sleepy Hinata and a confused Tenten to their feet, pushing them out of the door.

O0O

Tenten had to give it to herself, and not in a good way.

Later, when she thought back on her stupidity, she might have reflected that she had been half-conscious, sleep-deprived, and in a mood that resembled a crossover of sugar low and depression, and then forgiven her mistakes.

But, Tenten wasn't really the type of person to do that kind of reflection.

"No. Way," she mumbled in her sleep-deprived tone.

The Uchiha household loomed before the four girls, standing very alone in the dark street, their countenance lit only by the vague eddies of golden street lamp lights pooling at their closed-toe shoes, (Ino had insisted on "safety first"). Even as the protest left Tenten's lips, she realized that she really didn't have the mental or physical energy for an argument, and apparently, the more awake Ino and Sakura realized that as well.

Hinata rubbed her eye blearily, her eyelids drooping dangerously over her pale orbs. "H-mmmm…." She managed a confused mumble, but didn't offer much more. Tenten glanced at her half sympathetically and half with annoyance. It would be good if Hinata suddenly came up with a speech of brilliancy and told off the pink haired demon standing next to her for dragging them out in the middle of the night to…

Hey, what _were_ they going to do anyways?

"Eh…Sakura…" Tenten mumbled.

"Yeah?" said the pink-head, smirking. (And once again, both Ino and Tenten were simultaneously reminded of Uchiha Sasuke).

"What're we gonna do here?" Tenten sputtered out with difficulty, the words running together.

"Don't you worry your little head," Ino said triumphantly, in a mocking soothing-mother tone of voice, pushing Tenten and Hinata until they were both sitting childishly on the edge of the curb like scolded young children.

"Shall we?" Sakura said, offering an arm to the blonde. Tenten decided she must be dreaming. Was this…cooperation?

Ino smiled brightly, this angelic image ruined by the roll of toilet paper she was holding under her left arm as she took Sakura's offered one with her right. "We shall."

Together, arm in arm, they trotted up the stone pathway to the front door. It occurred to Tenten that she should probably drag Hinata behind that nearby perfectly pruned hedge so that they wouldn't be seen, but it was only a thought, and her exhausted body failed to keep up with her brain, (which was pretty sluggish itself).

A small voice in the back of her head was saying that she should have expected something like this all along. Seeing as Ino and Sakura both had minds that worked in strange, unfathomable ways, this situation could be seen as unavoidable. She sighed, and let Hinata lean against her and close her eyes.

She risked a glance back at Ino and Sakura, and felt a jolt of surprise when they were not there: gone.

She craned her neck around a little further, expecting them to pop out from behind a hedge at any moment, but the night around them was peacefully silent, but for the crickets in the bushes chirping. The sky was dusted by specks of glittering stars, the houses looming down on the street like giant sentinels, their windows like dark, watchful eyes.

Tenten shuddered. This felt just a tad creepy, though not really in a Halloween sort of way; more like a Murphy's Law sort of way.

Hinata had nodded off, her eyes closed and a strand of raven hair in her face, her breathing slow and gentle. Tenten couldn't stand up if she had wanted to: unless she would let Hinata bash her brains out on the sidewalk, but that wasn't going to happen.

"My God, I hate you, Ino," she muttered under her breath as if it had been a swear word.

And then…

"Ah…a familiar face," said a cold voice in her ear, the breath tickling her lobe and an icy cold hand, much like that of a wax sculpture, pressed briefly against her neck. Tenten's muscles in her entire body clenched and then relaxed in the period of half a second, hairs rising up on her arm, and she suppressed the immediate reaction to scream in surprise.

Uchiha Sasuke was standing behind her, fully dressed as if it were customary for people to be sitting on his curb in pajamas after midnight, a smirk gracing his pale features. With Tenten craning her neck to look up at him, his head seemed to block out the moon. She gulped.

"Er. Hi," she choked.

His smirk grew wider. "I know why you're here, so don't bother," he said smoothly, swooping down to squat beside her.

"Um. Well. If you know, would you mind telling me? I have no idea what I'm doing here," she said honestly, raising an eyebrow at him. Both of his raven eyebrows raised.

"Is that so?" He glanced apathetically at the sky, as one might glance at their watch. "How odd." His coal black eyes bore holes into her face, but she determinedly stared straight back at him, refusing to turn away. His eyebrows arched slightly higher, the expression making his cold, dark features turn almost boyish for a moment.

"Yep, no idea why I'm here," Tenten sighed, turning to make sure that Hinata was still soundly asleep. She was.

The black-haired man chuckled darkly. "Assuming that you are speaking the truth, you are utterly ignorant of the fact that as we speak, Sakura and that blonde are in my backyard, painting a threatening message on my wall in red paint, and also adding streamers of toilet paper?"

Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. "_That's_ what they're here for? A teepee of your house? My God!" she exclaimed. "Ino's going to get it in the morning once I'm sober!"

"You are not sober?" The Uchiha let a tinge of surprise leak into his voice, though not tinged with disdain as she might have expected. Well. He had delved into drugs, hadn't he? What would alcohol be to him?

She laughed. "Well, just sleepy, but I might as well have had some spiked punch before going to bed. I hope that Ino can run faster than I can, or she's not going to be alive to gloat about this tomorrow."

"Aa," said the Uchiha, not really caring what happened to the blonde.

"Well…aren't you going to stop them from desecrating your house?" Tenten suggested in a mild tone. She was beyond trying to understand him. He was an even harder concept to grasp than Sakura's personality.

"No, let them have their fun," he said in a dry voice.

Tenten didn't press him further on this odd decision, and instead chose to ignore him, half-closing her eyes as to try and drop off like Hinata had. After a while, though, the silence and the cold got to her.

"Er…Uchiha-san?" she said uncertainly.

He shot her an amused smirk. "Hn."

"Look, Hinata's asleep…could you get her a blanket or something? I think she'll catch a cold out here," Tenten explained.

Sasuke stood, his arms still hanging by his sides with the hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans. Tenten stood very carefully, also, supporting the sleeping Hinata.

"Follow," he said coldly. She sighed and got a better grip on her unconscious friend, and scrambled after Uchiha Sasuke.

O0O

"Here."

He threw an old quilt at her, which landed, of course, over her head so that she couldn't see anything. Stumbling about for a second, she tripped over the edge of what felt like a sofa, and fell into the cushions of what had to be some sort of armchair.

"Umph." She untangled herself from Hinata and the blanket, and then carefully tucked her friend in, eyeing her surroundings.

Sasuke's home was very simple: all of the walls and the carpet and much of the decorations were white; the tables and bureau were wood, and pretty much everything else like the sofa and the armchair were either blue or black. She shrugged. There were sounds of splashing coming from the open window towards the back.

"Hm. They're pretty loud, huh?" she said.

Sasuke either ignored her, or didn't hear her remark. He sat back on the sofa.

Even though she could defend herself perfectly well, and Hinata could hold her own if called upon, Tenten was feeling a bit on edge being practically alone in the same room as Uchiha Sasuke, who had nearly killed Naruto. There was bitter resentment of him somewhere in her chest, but at least he had given her a blanket.

_You're forgiving him for attempting to kill your best friend because he gave you a quilt? Smooth, Tenten._

"So…" she said dumbly.

Sasuke glanced in her direction this time. "She may stay here for the night," he said, nodding towards Hinata.

"Why aren't you getting rid of Sakura and Ino?" Tenten asked, forgetting to thank him for letting Hinata be.

Sasuke's cold eyes glimmered when he tilted his head towards the window and the sounds of paint sploshing and what was unmistakably Ino giggling.

"Annoying," he murmured. Then he turned back toward Tenten. "I presume this was the blonde's idea?"

"Yeah, probably," Tenten sighed, sitting on the arm of the chair that Hinata was dozing in.

"Hn." He ran a hand through his already rumpled black hair. "Sakura is a very odd person," he said quietly. "She has a long memory."

Tenten didn't really ask him to elaborate, and stood. "Um. Thanks for…uh…" she swallowed. "I'll be outside."

He ignored her as she let herself out through the front door.

O0O

Hinata woke up to a strange house.

Her white eyes widened as she realized that she was neither in the Hyuuga Compound nor the dorm that she shared with Tenten, Sakura, and Ino. She clutched the quilt covering her body experimentally, and touched the fabric of the armchair, glancing about at the house's interior furnishings. It all seemed rather real.

"Hn. You're awake," said a voice.

She flinched when she saw Neji sitting on the couch, his white eyes like chips of ice and his mouth set into a disapproving frown. The events of the night before vaguely crept into her brain. "N-Neji-nii-san? How did y-you know I was here?" she stuttered.

"Tenten gave me a call," he said sternly. "She asked if I could pick you up for her." His eyes narrowed. "I'm waiting for an explanation."

Hinata searched her mind desperately for some excuse that didn't sound like she was deranged, and came up empty-handed. Just as Neji looked like he couldn't be any more furious, Uchiha Sasuke ambled into the room, hands in his pockets as always.

"Ah, Hyuuga Neji," he drawled. "A pleasure." He held out a hand, and Neji stiffly shook it as he stood.

"I will be taking my leave now, thank you," Neji said stiffly as Hinata stood and made her way over to him.

"Hn." Sasuke scrutinized the two of them, and stood aside. "You know the way."

O0O

"Hinata! You're alright!" Ino chirped as soon as the Hyuuga heiress got through the door.

Tenten smiled in relief. "God, I was almost afraid that he ate you."

"Who, Sasuke or Neji?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

Hinata went to sit quietly on her bed.

"Neji-kun didn't give you too hard a time, did he?" Tenten questioned worriedly, seeing Hinata's sad expression. "That jerk, I'll give him a good whack in the jaw for you if he did. It's my fault that I let you stay there overnight anyways."

"No, it's a-alright, Tenten-san," Hinata said hurriedly. "Neji-nii-san is a b-bit angry, but I think he'll b-be alright."

"Good," Tenten said, though she didn't sound very believing.

"Ah, I didn't think I had enough immaturity in me to do a prank like that," Sakura sighed, picking at the wood slats of the top bunk. "I wonder how dear _Sasuke-kun_ liked our decoration of his back wall." She eyed Ino carefully. "Honestly, I am never doing something like that again. It was so childish."

"What did you write, anyways?" Tenten asked.

"Ah, nothing much," Ino waved it away. "Typical blackmail message, you know, the works."

Tenten raised her right eyebrow, and decided that she really did not want to know.

-

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the long wait!!**


	17. Charismatic Meetings

**A/N: -sigh- Inevitably, my updates are slowing down because of school and other after school events. Sorry. But I'll try to update as quickly as possible! (Once again, excuses excuses. I know what you're thinking, I'm thinking it too –sigh again-)**

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**Day 17**

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"Hey, Neji-kun!" Tenten shouted.

She threw another rock at his window, and this time, was rewarded when his white eyes stared through the window at her disapprovingly. He nevertheless got up, and pushed open the back door to his room for her, and she stalked in like she owned the place. He didn't bother to try and stop her.

"Might I inquire what exactly you are doing here?" he asked, brown hair falling into his face and his white eyes just a slight bit amused. The way he sat was definite: like he knew the influence he had on other people and used it. He was surrounded by an air of strange elegance. Tenten shook her head. She probably wasn't getting enough sleep and too much caffeine again, if she was analyzing how her mental patient sat.

"Oh, I just wanted to say thanks for picking up Hinata for me." She stared at him carefully. "You weren't too hard on her, were you?"

"I don't believe it is of your concern," he said coldly.

"It is! Hinata's my friend, and I've got to look out for her," Tenten protested. She really did like the quiet girl, much more than she did Ino or Sakura. She already felt like an older sister towards her, (though she did not actually know if Hinata was older or younger than her…hm. She had always seemed like she was much smaller than the others, as her personality seemed to shrink by the day).

"Well, I am her cousin, and I believe I have more authority over her than you; you would agree?" Neji said calmly.

"Over-possessive tyrant."

"I am merely looking out for her best interests."

"You've got a pretty twisted up idea of what that is."

"Hn."

"See? You don't have a decent answer to that one! Hinata's our age, not some little innocent kid. Not like Hanabi or something."

"Hanabi is ten years old and able to look out for herself."

"She's _ten_? No joke? She's so small!"

Neji raised his eyebrows. "Now you are going against your own point."

Tenten sighed and waved it aside impatiently. "Well, I was never good with arguments anyways." She sighed, and smiled at Neji. "You want to just pretend that never happened and start over, Neji-kun?" He didn't answer, so she took it as a yes.

"Ohayo. O genki desuka?" she tried. Neji raised his eyebrows.

"Genki desu," he said flatly.

Tenten snorted. "Right. Well, how'd the Uchiha treat you?"

"Are you implying that he might have attempted to hurt me?" Neji asked incredulously. "I assure you, not one man or woman has yet bested me in combat."

"No, not _that_. I mean, with two egos as big as you twos' in the same room, was there even room to _breathe_?" she laughed in a sarcastic manner, though the glint in her eye showed that she was only teasing.

Neji's face remained stony. He didn't seem to find it very funny.

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Neji-kun, you honestly have no sense of humor," she complained. Neji shrugged indifferently.

"It is not something that I can fix. I was born this way."

"Yeah, I bet you didn't even cry as a baby."

"Perhaps not," Neji muttered vaguely, not really looking at her even though he was staring straight at her in the unnerving way that he did. Neji often seemed as if he were not really there, even though he was sitting right there across from her. It was hard to believe that he was real, sometimes.

"Anyways. We got off track, but basically, thanks again for picking up Hinata. I really, really didn't want to get involved with the Uchiha again." Tenten tried a grateful smile, but was pretty sure that it turned out as a cross between a grimace and a cheesy camera grin.

"Hn. It was my duty," Neji said stiffly.

Tenten was about to just get up and go, but then she spied a deck of cards on the little desk beside Neji's chair. "Do you play?" she asked, motioning towards them.

"No."

"Really? I could teach you," she suggested.

"No," he said again, very flatly. "No, thank you."

"Do you have interest in _anything_ besides martial arts, being overprotective of Hinata, angsting in your room, and inventing new ways to torture my sanity?" Tenten ticked off her list on her fingers. A hint of a smile touched Neji's lips.

"Perhaps…you would enjoy going out to eat curry sometime?" he suggested flatly.

"Really, Neji, you are sometimes so pathetic…wait, did you just ask me out?" she sputtered.

"No, I invited you to try curry," Neji said calmly. "'Asking you out' would imply that I felt a sort of romantic interest towards you, and that is simply not the case."

Any other girl probably would have taken this as offensive, but Tenten took it in stride. She knew who she was and what she looked like, and also that she was a guy's perfect a-girl-who-is-a-friend material…but not necessarily girlfriend.

"Well, that's nice of you," she smiled brightly. "When should I meet you?"

"Come here tomorrow morning, eleven O' clock," Neji said like it was a grave military order. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"I'll bring my own money," she said as she went out of the door.

O0O

"He _so totally_ asked you out!" Ino squealed, her blonde hair done in two child-like pigtails that she was currently tugging on obsessively.

"Get off my bed," Sakura complained, nudging Ino aside to get to a book that she had been sitting on.

"Ino, he did _not_ ask me out," Tenten repeated for the seventh time, (but what felt like the millionth…). "I'm just going with him to try out curry. Besides, he spends too much time indoors. An outing would be good for him. It's part of the therapeutic thing."

"Sure," Ino said sarcastically.

Tenten was regretting very, _very_ deeply, telling Ino about her outing with Neji the next day. However, it had been inevitable, as the girls had been planning to go to the park the next day together and they would have missed Tenten. She could see the cogs in Ino's brain developing a plan to get Naruto and Hinata together, and Tenten really didn't want to see _that_ in action.

"Ino-pig, _get off my bed_," Sakura repeated through gritted teeth, giving Ino a more insistent shove and finally tugging her book free. It was a glossy, homemade-looking, very thin hardcover: a bit like the fairy tales Aki used to read to Tenten.

"What's that?" Hinata asked softly, coming over to see.

"It's a yearbook," Tenten realized, sitting down next to Sakura, who scowled, trying to shove it back into her backpack. Ino snatched it out of her grasp first.

Her eyes bugged at the title. "Forehead-girl, that school is in the next big city! You aren't from around here?"

"I ran away," Sakura said stiffly. "Isn't that obvious?"

Tenten sighed. "Oh….God…"

"Well, haven't you ever tried running away?" Sakura defended herself hotly. "I used to be from over here, but my family moved to the next town last month. My mom's been arguing with my dad a lot about how to pay the rent. Things haven't been going well."

"Oh," Ino said quietly. "Things aren't so great with my family either."

"Are y-you okay?" Hinata asked. She probably knew a bit about dysfunctional families herself, Tenten noted wryly.

"Yeah. My mom and dad and my little bro are all chipper, but our flower shop's slowly going out of business," Ino explained. "They can't afford to clothe and feed both of us for the time being, so thus, I'm here," she motioned around the room. "The treasurer for this place is my aunt."

They sat in a semi-awkward silence for a moment. Ino flipped open the first page of the yearbook.

"Where are you in here?"

"I'm not, I'm too new to be in there yet, they didn't get a chance to take my photo," Sakura explained. She pulled another thin-covered book from her backpack. "You guys might recognize a few kids from here, though."

"Hey, you went to my school!" Tenten realized, staring at the cover of the yearbook and knowing that she had one almost identical to it sitting on her bedroom shelf at home.

Sakura snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised, I mean, this world's already about as small as it can get. Besides, there's like hundreds of kids in that high school. Where do you go, Ino-pig?"

"Oh, I used to attend private school, with the uniforms and everything," Ino sighed. "The last year, my parents couldn't afford it anymore, so I was going to the public high school north of the nearest freeway. It's on the other end of town."

"Do you go there, too, Hinata?" Tenten asked.

The violet-haired girl shook her head. "I'm h-home schooled. There are m-many sufficient Hyuuga e-elders to teach Neji-nii-san, my imouto H-Hanabi, and I, as well as the other c-children."

"That must be cool," Ino said.

"S-Sometimes," Hinata smiled slightly. "You d-don't get to choose y-your family."

"True," Sakura agreed quickly. She laughed suddenly. Tenten's face turned pale.

"You found my school mug shot!" she cried indignantly as Ino and Hinata bent over to look over Sakura's shoulders. Ino snickered.

"Nice afro, Weapons Mistress."

"Look, I was having a bad hair day, okay?"

"What happened, did Godzilla try to eat you?"

"If you're so perfect, show me _your_ mug shot," Tenten retorted sulkily.

Ino dug it out of her pocket. Tenten raised her eyebrows. "You keep your school portrait on you?" It was like keeping little packets of salt in your pocket or something. Ino shrugged and handed it over. To Tenten's dismay, Ino's blonde hair and blue eyes accented her movie star smile in the picture perfectly. Not a flaw to be found.

Sakura's mug shot in the yearbook, once they had forced her to show them it, was considerably better than Tenten's, but still not nearly as polished as Ino's. Her green eyes were hostile and there were purple marks under her eyes, but somebody had combed her pink hair until it shown and fell flat and neat around her face. She had on normal clothes, even.

"You look…different," Tenten said.

Sakura laughed. "Everybody says that when they see this shot. My mom got me all dolled up." Her tone turned bitter. "Sometimes, I think she doesn't even remember my name anymore."

"I'm s-sorry," Hinata said awkwardly.

"Nah, don't bother," Sakura waved it away. "I hate it when people say that. It's not your fault anyways."

Next to Sakura's picture was Uchiha Sasuke. His black hair was the same as always, and the earring and the pale face and the overconfident smirk. His eyes seemed haunted, instead of cold, the one difference between the present Sasuke that Tenten knew and the picture: he seemed like he was suffering.

"Orochimaru?" Ino voiced Tenten's thoughts.

"Yeah." Sakura nodded, and she bit her lip. "It's his fault."

O0O

Hyuuga Neji was never, ever late.

Of course, he was waiting just on time, dressed, occasionally glancing at his watch, his white eyes staring out at everything from his back porch. It was how Tenten found him when she arrived five minutes after ten, a bright smile spread on her face like it was contagious.

He looked like a marble statue, standing there: opal eyes, ivory skin, a relief that might have been a depiction of an angel: the long brown hair and the calm, almost serene expression.

If it weren't for the modern clothes and tattered leather sandals on his feet, Tenten might have mistaken Neji for just that: a relief of an angel, (perhaps a moodier one than was customary, but nevertheless…).

He turned to look at her so abruptly that she flinched, but she was learning to accustom to his strange ways.

"So where is this mysterious curry place?" Tenten asked curiously.

Neji didn't look at her. "Close by."

Tenten sighed and shut her mouth.

Neji was never late, but he sure took his time with answering questions.

O0O

"Hinata-chan, you'll be fine!" Ino assured the nervously walking girl.

Hinata didn't seem convinced of that. She was fiddling her fingers together, a nervous habit the others thought had been squashed out of her for good. Sakura sighed and tried a smile at the timid Hyuuga as well. "You know, this isn't a walk to the guillotine," she said flatly at the frightened expression in Hinata's eyes.

"Yeah, for all we know, Naruto _probably _won't even be there," Ino said cheerfully.

Hinata flinched and reddened. Sakura sighed again. "This is hopeless, isn't it?"

They rounded a bend in the park sidewalk and the skateboarding area came into view. There were a few early risers already testing out their boards and warming up, but none had blonde hair. Hinata exhaled loudly in relief. Ino sulked in obvious disappointment.

"Well, let's go and get some proper breakfast, then," Sakura smirked, amused.

"Oi! Hinata-chan!"

"Oh, crap," said the pink-haired maiden, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't know you came out this early!" Naruto stopped behind them, having just come up with Kiba at his heels, looking mutinous. He promptly ignored Ino, smiled at Hinata, and slightly awkward, offered her his hand. Hinata shook it with trembling fingers, her cheeks flaming.

"Sa…kura-chan," Naruto smiled a little wider at the apple of his eye. Sakura rolled her eyes and grudgingly shook his hand as well. It looked pretty awkward.

"Hey…where's Tenten?" Kiba remarked. It was obvious that, while Sakura, Ino and Hinata were considered "real" girls in the two boys' eyes, Tenten would most likely have received a body slam than a handshake. Ino gritted her teeth, having been pretty much ignored for the past minute of conversation.

"She's with Hyuuga Neji."

"Who's he?" said Naruto blankly. Kiba snorted.

"Hinata's relative, obviously. You don't even know who the Hyuuga Clan is, Naruto? You really are an idiot. Maybe that bastard Sasuke was talking sense."

Sakura visibly stiffened. Kiba cocked his head at her, much like Akamaru might. "What, is he your boyfriend? No offense," he muttered scornfully.

Sakura's emerald eyes glared daggers at him. "No, he is not," she said stiffly.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Eh…Kiba and me-"

"Kiba and _I_," Ino said gleefully.

Naruto scowled. "Well, we're going to go and do some boarding. See you." They pushed past the girls with a wave, (at least, Naruto waved. Kiba didn't bother to even glance back at them). Hinata exhaled in relief once more.

"God, it's not like that was all that bad," Sakura laughed, playfully ruffling Hinata's hair. Ino scowled even more deeply than Naruto had.

"They ignored me," she whined.

"Yes, because you're basking in the shadow of my amazing charisma," Sakura gloated. They instantly started bickering back and forth and calling each other childish names. Hinata hastily stepped a bit of a distance away, and thus they made their way over to a park bench to unload their food horde.

-

**A/N: Wow, that took a LONG time! I'm really sorry! Please forgive me.**


	18. Curry

**A/N: Well, here I am again, your humble writer.**

**This chapter will be random, as it is with nearly all of my writing pieces…**

**And I think I've just thought of a new Naruto fiction idea…all of my ideas seem to be really different and random…**

**First frozen kunoichis, (by the way, The Perfect Place I now consider an utter failure…-sigh- The characters are so OOC…), then werewolves living in an orphanage, now mental therapy patients, and next…cough. Well. You'll just have to see then….-smiles evilly-**

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**Day 18**

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"_Yakumi_," Tenten read off the large sign above the curry shop. Written in large, red kanji on a wooden board, the sign was tacked up right above the modern glass double doors so that all of passerby could see it. She turned to Neji, curious. "_Toppings._ Why, do they have a lot of sauces or wasabi or something?"

Neji only shrugged and pulled open the door, waving her inside with a slight air of impatience. "You are here to eat, not to speculate about their sauce capacity, correct?"

She rolled her eyes and strolled past him. "I can hold the door myself, you know," she complained mildly, but smiled at him anyways. She held the second set of doors open for him. He raised his eyebrows slightly. The host had her back turned when Tenten and Neji entered the room, but her shock of watermelon red hair fell all the way to her waist. Tenten furrowed her eyebrows. _Red hair._

She turned around after she had finished stuffing a sheet full of house specialties into one of the plastic coverings between the hard covers of a menu. She turned around, smiling, her coal black eyes framed with oval-shaped glasses.

"Go right on in, seat yourselves," she sighed, flipping through a menu. Then she took a double take, the kind that belonged on a comedy rerun. Her eyes widened behind their lenses.

"Tenten?"

"Hi, Karin," Tenten sighed, smiling slightly. "Long time, no see. You work here?"

"Uh, yeah," the redhead said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, seemingly not sure how to receive her ex-friend. It was almost amusing to watch Karin so unsure. Usually, the redhead was an explosion of sarcasm and nasty, very _loud_ comments. She used to kick their classmate Suigetsu a lot in elementary school, Tenten remembered, and took a tiny step back.

"So…" Tenten muttered.

"We may go in, I believe you said," Neji prompted calmly, giving Tenten a slight nudge, as Tenten seemed to have temporarily dislocated her locomotive functions. Although she and Karin still doubtless attended the same high school, she had not seen the redhead around for a very long time. She was filled with a sudden gratefulness for Neji and his lack of normal human emotion. He seemed to reflect all awkwardness in every situation, although he did tend to _create_ some pretty strange moments. People were always uncomfortable around him for some reason they couldn't name.

"Yeah, go ahead," Karin said, in her usual confident, careless tone of voice, hoisting herself up so that she sat cross-legged on half-circle reception desk. "Business is slow today."

Tenten forced herself to move, (well, Neji practically shoved her forward), and plopped down at the nearest two-person table she found, and rested the side of her head against the window, sort-of watching the traffic out of the corner of her eye, watching Neji out of the other.

He sat down quietly, rearranged the fork and chopsticks sitting by his plate. He didn't ask who Karin was like a normal person would have. Instead, he said, "That girl is not very adept at fixing menus."

Tenten gawked at him. "Right…your point?"

Neji shrugged slightly. "None. Just an observation." He scrutinized her a bit more carefully, so Tenten turned back to looking out of the window, carelessly draping the napkin into her lap. It was paler than crimson, darker than salmon, but too washed out and faded looking to be a true blood red. She toyed with the corner, where the hemming was coming out.

Another waitress came over to take their order, thankfully not Karin. Tenten sighed in relief and placed an order for the house special curry. Neji ordered that too, except he ordered his mild and Tenten said extra spicy.

"I thought you were the man here," she said.

Neji stroked a strand of his long, lush brown hair absentmindedly, blinked so slowly that it looked like he was batting his eyelashes. "Are you sure?" he said sarcastically, (Neji and sarcasm simply did not mix; in his dull, monotone voice, it sounded positively…well…just not right).

Tenten snorted. "What girl has a voice like yours? I don't think guys could even talk as monotonously as you do."

Neji shrugged again. "Hn."

"Monosyllabic freak."

"Ah, but less is more, Tenten."

"Not when you're supposed to be carrying a conversation. Damn it all, Neji, sometimes it feels like you ignore me when you're actually talking to me."

Neji stared at her without answering. The waitress was back, setting plates of steaming curry with chunks of potato evident under the thick brown sauce, poured over rice. The smell positively curled under Tenten's nostrils. She smiled and happily raised a fork, her squabble with Neji forgotten, (now that she came to think of it, it seemed like all of her conversations with Neji were squabbles).

"Mmmm," she let the curry melt into her tongue, the spices prickling the insides of her mouth. "This stuff is good," she gulped after she had swallowed the hot sauce.

Neji was quietly eating his mild, no-spice curry, his white eyes watching her as they always did. Neji seemed to constantly record everything going on around him, like an ultra-aware, human security camera. It made Tenten feel creeped out and also a bit grateful at the same time. All her life, she had relied on her martial arts skill to look out for herself and sometimes her mother too. Now Neji looked out for her. Sort of.

The heaping plate of curry was gone in another half hour. She wiped her mouth with the napkin and sat it on the table. "Bill?" she called to the waitress the next time she passed idly by, no customers but them to serve. She nodded and vanished into the kitchen for a moment before coming back.

Neji calmly, matter-of-factly, reached into his pocket for the yen notes, but Tenten stubbornly also laid a couple of bills on the table. "I don't like letting other people pay all the time," she said.

Neji hesitated for a moment, and seemingly decided that he did not want to argue with a Tenten that was hyper on spicy curry. "Alright."

As they got up to leave, Tenten realized that she didn't unconsciously distance herself so that she wouldn't have to touch Neji's scaly skin anymore. They weren't really walking close together, but it seemed like they walked out of the shop like Tenten might walk with Naruto or with Lee. With a friend.

Tenten ignored Karin on her way out of the door.

O0O

"Tenten, hello, it's Yumi," said the answering machine once Tenten got back.

She sighed, waiting for the inevitable.

"Would it be alright if you checked in at the office today sometime in the afternoon? You can find me in my office, and if not, I'll be in the filing room. We've got a lot of work to do! Thanks, bye."

_Beeeeeep_, went the answering machine as the message finished playing back.

Tenten sighed again, this time more deeply, and pulled her Nikes back on.

O0O

The office building wasn't any less cold than it had been on her previous visits. She dreaded what would await her in the file room: doubtless she would have so many files to organize that she would die reciting alphabetical order with Yumi cackling above her.

When she pushed open the metal door with the blue sign "STAFF ONLY" printed on it, she was surprised to see that it was not Yumi that was there, but another woman. She had her black-gray hair in a messy, spiky ponytail on top of her head and round eyes of the same color. She wore a tan jacket with a high color. She grinned rakishly at Tenten.

"You Yumi's intern?"

"I…guess so," she said uncertainly. The woman's arm moved slightly when she turned back to her files, and her name tag was made visible: _Mitarashi Anko_.

"She's not here, and she's not in her office. I think she's with a patient, actually," Anko said conversationally. "Ah…" she groaned as she stood and stretched her back. "That's the spot." There was a tattoo on her neck that Tenten glimpsed: three black dots in a circle. Where had she seen that before…?

Anko caught her staring and adjusted her high collar a little so that the mark disappeared in the fold of fabric. "You recognize it?" she said, her eyes bitter. Tenten shook her head no.

"It's Orochimaru's mark, but you wouldn't know who he is. Drug dealer." She watched Tenten for a reaction, but Tenten gave none. "I don't do that kind of dirty business anymore," Anko said in a much more subdued voice than she had been using. "It's common knowledge around here that I used to do illegal dealing, but they took me on anyways. Nice people." She shrugged.

"Well, I dunno why I'm telling you this. I don't even know who you are," Anko laughed loudly. "I don't really believe in secrets. Secrets killed my childhood." She glanced at Tenten. "Anyways, help me out with these files, would you? Yumi should be out in a while."

Tenten nodded shakily.

Of course she knew where she had seen that mark before. On the back of Uchiha Sasuke's neck, abysmally black against his marble-like pallor, a permanent brand of his dark past and biggest mistakes.

O0O

"Enjoy yourself?" Ino said absentmindedly when Tenten came in, her nose buried in a magazine about the latest hot gossip on celebrities.

Tenten shrugged. "Yeah, sure." She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders back. The filing cabinets looked innocent enough, but then you pulled them open and saw the looming piles of folders, in complete chaos, knowing that you were the one that had to organize them. She winced.

"You know, we really have to get a life," Sakura suggested. "All we ever do is lounge around in the room and read, or argue, or use the internet downstairs. We never do anything _fun_."

"We g-go to the park s-sometimes," Hinata volunteered faintly.

"Excuse me, but unlike you three, I actually have _friends_," Ino said haughtily, throwing her magazine against the wall, (apparently, the gossip wasn't good this week).

"I find that very hard to believe," Sakura said in a wry face. "With that pig-like mug of yours," she continued solemnly, "Who would dare try to befriend you?"

"Hey, what exactly is wrong with me?" Ino retorted angrily.

Sakura pretended to ponder. "You mean besides all the obvious stuff?" she piped up a few seconds later. Ino growled, a sound that would have made a bulldog proud. Tenten shuddered. Blonde girls who looked like they belonged on a cheerleading squad shouldn't be allowed to make that kind of sound.

Hinata promptly ignored them, leaning over to rearrange the flowers in the vase between the bunks.

"So…why don't we go to the pool?" Tenten shouted once Sakura and Ino had started insulting each others' mothers.

Sakura turned to look at Tenten with the same kind of look she would have given a plant that decided to get up and do the tango. Ino's tongue was poking out from between her teeth, her blue eyes contemplating whether to scream at Tenten or keep screaming at Sakura. Hinata looked at all three of them like she very much wished that she had just stayed safely back at the Hyuuga Compound. Tenten really didn't blame her.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Sakura admitted grudgingly. "I can't believe we didn't think of that before."

"Hello, it's summer," Ino rolled her eyes. "Of course we're going swimming, I was thinking of that all along."

"Right. Well. We can go tomorrow afternoon," Tenten sat down on her bunk, pushing down the blankets that she had made in the morning for once.

And that settled matters.

O0O

"Oh, come on, Hinata, it isn't all that difficult!" Ino called, knocking once more against the bathroom door. "It's just a bathing suit! It's not like you're naked! Hinata! _Please_ come out? I need to pee!"

Sakura snorted and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "I don't think you'll ever persuade her to come out."

Ino rapped her knuckles against the door impatiently one more time, and was about to give up when it swung open. Her blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow. You came out," she laughed.

Hinata had her arms wrapped her front, carrying a neatly folded pale blue towel which covered most of her black one-piece swimsuit. She wiggled her toes nervously at all the attention.

"Shall we go?" Sakura suggested. She tied her black towel around her like a Greek sash and sauntered out of the door without waiting for an answer. Ino rolled her eyes and followed. Hinata shuffled forward sideways.

"Hinata-chan, it's just a bathing suit," Tenten said gently, resisting the temptation to laugh at Hinata's comical behavior.

Hinata nodded timidly. "I k-know," she stammered. "I never got t-to go swimming much b-before."

"…you won't sink like a rock, will you?" Tenten asked warily.

Hinata smiled slightly and shook her head no.

"Then you'll be perfectly fine," said Tenten.

O0O

It was a nice day for swimming. The weather was hot and dry, but the sun wasn't shining too brightly. The asphalt sizzled a bit under their toes as they hopped about putting down their towels on respective chairs. There were a few people lounging around: Tenten recognized a few.

Anko was there, as was Chouji, the boy with the potato chips that lived on Tenten's street. Although anybody could come to this pool, it was mostly just people who lived in Tenten's community. A lot of the time, she could name every face that she met here.

Ino sat down by the side of the pool, and delicately dipped her feet in, arching her shoulders back and checked to see if there was anybody she knew around, or any guys below twenty.

Sakura climbed up to the tall diving board and jumped up into a graceful midair summersault, landing into the water in a straight dive. She surfaced a few moments later in the middle of the pool, laughing.

Hinata cautiously waded her way in down the steps to the shallow end, flinching every time she went down a step when the cold water surrounded her. She shivered, feeling her way down with her toes and gripping the edges of the stairs.

Tenten didn't bother with all the quietness of her roommates. She let out a whoop, took a running start, and did a hearty cannonball, (albeit an uncoordinated one), into the pool. Ino scowled as she was splashed.

They continued to spend the rest of the afternoon playing marco polo, (Sakura always won, but they could never prove that she had been cheating), wrestling in chickenfight, (here, Tenten won, every single time), swimming some laps, and growing pruny n the Jacuzzi.

It was only at the end of the day that Tenten realized that she was supposed to have gone to Neji's house at two.

-

**A/N: Hope you liked it!**


	19. Yellow Roses

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, (no, KT, is wasn't too harsh, I'm lacking in constructive criticism even though, as a writer, I love the positive reviews more than I really should xD Thank ye very much.) Neji's "Hn" isn't really a word as much as it is a sound: we all use it everyday, probably, just don't really realize we are. It's kind of like the neutral answer to a question that you weren't really listening to xD It's the sound that parents make when they're reading the newspaper and you're trying to tell them about your day, lol.**

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**Day 19**

**--**

"Hi…" Tenten poked her head into Neji's bedroom, trying to arrange her features into an apologetic expression, (it actually looked like she had a toothache, but Tenten did not know this. Neji, for his credit, knew what she was trying to look like and chose not to comment on her bizarre behavior, as he often did.)

"Sorry about ditching you this afternoon," she said, letting herself into his room like she always did and sitting down on the inevitable couch.

Neji shrugged. "I had better things to do," he said flatly, not seeming the least bit angry.

Tenten felt a bit miffed at this calm response. She had been nervous about his reaction, (Neji had an unnerving way of staring people down), all the way there, and now he was just going to let her off the hook? All of that angsting and anxiety for nothing? She felt like pouting.

"Oh. Were you at a meeting or something?" she asked, trying to sound surprised. Even though Neji was her age, he wouldn't have seemed out of place at a press conference.

Neji shrugged once again, and more unresponsively if that were possible. "Something of the like." He stood restlessly, walked over to the door, and opened it impatiently. "Tenten, let's go outside," he muttered.

"Er…okay…" she said, confused, and this time allowed him to hold the door open for her.

O0O

The Hyuuga Compound was a bit like a hollow square.

The architectural structure of the building made it into a somewhat square shape in the middle, four hallways framing a large, garden-like courtyard with smaller hallways branching out, so that if you looked at it from above, it looked a bit like some sort of symmetrical fabric design. Everything about the Hyuuga clan was neat, balanced, and calm.

Even as Tenten followed Neji outside into their central courtyard, she knew that it was supposed to be a garden, but never quite got there…or perhaps, it had once been a lovely garden full of living, growing things, but that time was long past.

The air was heavy somehow, like the time before rain falls, but without the humidity. The sky was perfectly clear, so it ruled out the possibility of rain anyways. It was more like the place's chi was so _clear_ that it pressed on you.

The entire square took on a shrine-like appearance. The ground was all brown dirt, with a sidewalk made of stepping stones in the shape of a cross dividing the area into four exactly even sections. There was a little pebble pond, the surface so still that it took on a mirror-like quality. At the head of the square, opposite where Neji and Tenten had entered was a tall gray stone, bearing a kanji inscription. The only flowers in the barren courtyard were laying at the foot of the stone: yellow roses, red peonies, white carnations. The colors exploded to the eye.

"What…?" Tenten asked curiously, running along the stepping stone path to touch the gray, weathered stone. She felt a sort of _calm_ emanating from the stone. It was as if the stone gave the entire square it's solemn aura. Tenten was positive it would not be the same without it, not just in appearance, but in spirit.

Neji followed her with his slow, measured gait, so slow as if he were purposely dragging his feet. "The grave of my father," he said quietly, coming to stand on the other side of the stone. He, too, brushed his fingers against the rock.

Suddenly, there was the same awkward silence that Tenten thought had already been banished to the days when she had nothing to talk about with Neji. She had already gotten used to his I-Am-Above-You aura and his reluctance to do with anything verbal…but of course, the awkward silence was back.

"Oh," she said, unable to really think of anything else.

He smiled wryly. "I don't need your pity."

"Oh, um, I didn't mean it like that!" Tenten hastily said.

Neji raised his eyebrows. "You didn't say anything at all."

"Right," Tenten muttered, and just like that, the silence was gone again. She smiled. "Hey, there's nowhere to sit out here, huh?"

Neji glanced around. "No."

"Why didn't they put in a bench or something?"

"Oh, the Hyuugas don't particularly enjoy the outdoors. We rarely use this square, except for large formal gatherings," Neji said matter-of-factly. He seemed to struggle with something, and then said, "It's just as well. A tan wouldn't look very fitting on a face with white eyes, no?"

Tenten snorted, and then she laughed out loud. "You tried to make a _joke_, Neji-kun! Good for you, this is progress!"

"Yumi will be thrilled," Neji said dryly, "I believe I heard her call me 'that emotional child'. She seems to believe that I am suffering from the type of trauma that makes you 'cold, unreachable, and shunned from other children'."

Tenten crossed her arms. "Well, that pretty much sums up what you are."

"A mere coincidence, I assure you," Neji replied.

"Right. You sure there's no secret, dark past you're hiding from me?" Tenten said in a doubtful voice. She had meant for it to be a joke, but she realized that she was half-serious. Neji seemed to realize it too. (Damned Hyuuga, he realized _everything_. Stupid, white eyes.)

"Tenten," Neji said in a voice like a father reprimanding his child.

"What? If anybody I know is an assassin by night and an ordinary teenager by day…well, somewhat ordinary at least…then, it would be you!" she laughed. "You sure you don't have a killer razor stuck in a weapons tool belt hidden under your shirt or something?"

"Would that not be rather painful?" Neji inquired.

"Touché," Tenten mused. She shrugged. "Ah, well, when we're old and gray and you're in the FBI and I'm a retired teacher of eighth grade biology, then you can finally point your finger and laugh your head off at me without me retorting with a snarky comment that always outwits you."

She paused.

"I can't really imagine you laughing maniatically, though." In truth, Tenten realized, she couldn't imagine Neji doing all the things a normal person did: brushing his teeth, washing dishes, maybe walking a dog…

"I don't believe that 'maniatically' is a real word," Neji said calmly.

"Sure it is!" Tenten protested. "You do it like this: FUFUFUFUFUFUFU!" She raised her arms in the air and cackled. "Or maybe like….MUJARJARJARJARJAR! Or HAHAHAHAHAHHA!"

"Tenten, you're scaring the birds," Neji said, glancing up at all of the crows flying up into the sky from their perches in the trees.

"Oops," Tenten said sheepishly.

"Hm. Crows. Death birds," Neji murmured, completely ignoring her embarrassment. (Maybe he was just really good at ignoring awkward situations, or he just never actually noticed that they were there). "A bad omen."

"This is the 21st century. Crows are everywhere, and I've probably crossed a black cat's path a billion times in my life. I'm not dead," Tenten said.

"All the same," Neji said softly. "It is best not to tamper with the messengers of Fate. Omens are omens."

"Superstition," Tenten said, shaking her head, "belongs in the same category as overrated things, stereotypes, and hypocrisy. It's for nannies. And perhaps mothers."

"Perhaps," Neji said diplomatically.

"You really need to loosen up," Tenten advised.

"Why?"

"You're fifteen. Do you really need another reason?" Tenten said, laughing. "Neji-kun, I bet you could be a lot of fun if you talked a bit more. I mean, I like you enough. Other people would, too."

Neji's pale eyes flickered. "You enjoy talking with me?"

"Yeah," Tenten said, a little embarrassed by the way he was staring at her as if her answer would be the reason if his life would go on. Then the look was gone, and he was just her Neji again.

Wait a minute, rewind…since when had he been _her_ Neji? Or was that just the unconscious name she had given to the part of him that he displayed only when she was around? The side where he talked somewhat normally? (Excluding omens and fate and black crows, of course. And flipping off skateboards, too).

Or maybe she had meant he was her Neji in all of his entirety? Her mind came up with a reasonable conclusion.

She meant he was her Neji in the way that he was her patient: well, they were somewhat-sort-of-kind-of-not-really friends, not a doctor and her scheduled, disturbed person.

Maybe.

O0O

"Whatcha doin'?" said Ino.

Hinata smiled politely, if somewhat nervously, at the blonde, (in the oh-my-God-she-is-going-to-roast-me-on-a-stick-and-do-a-strange-dance-before-eating-me type nervous). She went back to her book.

"Reading, huh?" Ino answered herself.

Hinata nodded. "S-Shakespeare. He is quite a f-fascinating playwright."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Too tragic. Too many long words. Too…"

"Old f-fashioned?" Hinata suggested, smiling. "Yes, I sometimes t-think so too. But his s-stories are quite a-amazing. They capture the h-human nature very w-well."

"Oh," Ino said, blinking. "That was…deep."

"N-Not at all," Hinata replied. "…Ino-san, w-what is your favorite w-work of his?"

Ino laughed. "Well, I don't really know of any except for Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, so out of those two, I pick the second."

"Oh," Hinata said quietly. "I've n-never liked his t-tragedies," she said with a wistful air in her eyes. "They are t-too real. Do you k-know, I only ever r-read tragedies if I c-can't relate them to my l-life at all?"

"Well, all of us do that," Ino said kindly.

The two were sitting in the lamplight lobby of the Bed and Breakfast. Sakura had gone out for some coffee at the Starbucks, and both were bored out of their minds. At least, Ino was.

She peeked over the entranced-by-novel Hinata's shoulder warily. "Eek. You're reading the original play format version?"

"Yes," Hinata said distractedly.

"Hm. What story are you reading?"

"A Midsummer N-Night's Dream," Hinata said. "It's a r-romance, but in a more c-comedic style."

"Oh." Ino furrowed her eyebrows together. "I see." _Actually, I don't._

"It's d-difficult to explain the s-story," Hinata said.

"Don't try," Ino said. "I probably won't understand it anyways." Hinata smiled slightly.

"I think that S-Sakura-san is back with c-coffee."

O0O

Neji walked her home, again.

The nights were cold, even in the days were sizzling. Tenten stood on the door step of the Bed and Breakfast, agitatedly attempting to fish her keys out of the mess of her messenger bag. She growled in frustration, her breath coming out in a puff of fog.

Neji watched patiently as she finally located the key with a triumphant "aha!" and jammed it into the door as if the keyhole had done her a great injustice, turning it with a satisfying _click_.

"Goodnight," Neji said courteously. "Sleep well, Tenten."

"That's sweet of you," Tenten cocked her head slightly. "Sounds like something they would say in a chick flick."

"Chick…flick?"

"Never mind," she waved her hand dismissively. "It was nothing. Just a random thought. Chick flicks are all stupid, anyways. They never seem to score high in the box office."

"Hn," he grunted.

"Well, thanks for walking me home. _You're_ going to be okay walking home alone, right?" she asked, "Or do I have to walk you all the way back and have somebody pick me up?"

He smiled slightly. "No, that is not necessary. Goodnight, Tenten."

"Night, Neji-kun," she smiled, and walked through the door, to be greeted by…

"Hey, Tenten? How do you pronounce Y-E?" asked Ino, her blue eyes wide.

Tenten sighed and exchanged a look with Hinata, who was helplessly giggling into her copy of Shakespearean plays. Sakura was lazily sipping coffee while surfing the net, her eyes looking on the verge of major bloodshot issues.

Life was so strange.

-

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Review and let me know. Gosh, I've got TWO pending Naruto plot bunnies! I shall probably end up writing both…look out for them. –smiles- A Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fiction will probably also be coming out in the near future, though I have NO idea what that one will be about.**


	20. Prayers

**A/N: Thanks SO much to all of you who review on every chapter, (or at least try to, lol). It means a lot to me. (Me, being a lazy person, realize who difficult it is to press that purple button and type out a review that makes sense to the writer).**

**It boggles me that anything that comes out of my head and into the computer could mean something to anybody else. Really. So thanks, very, very much. It proves that I have a bit of a brain!**

**--**

**Day 20**

**--**

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," Ino sang.

Tenten groaned and lashed out instinctively with her arm, her mind still fuzzy with sleep. Ino smartly ducked out of the way, caught Tenten's arm, and stuffed it back under the army-green blanket she was using. "Whoever says that has got some serious issues," Tenten moaned, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Actually, his name was Benjamin Franklin, an American man with glasses and strange hair," Ino said. "I think he did have some issues. He invented the rocking chair, you know."

"I don't care," Tenten muttered, her voice muffled through the blanket. Ino shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Hinata told me about him, or rather, one of her history books told me. They're actually pretty cool. Ben Franklin also invented bifocal glasses."

"Are you usually this interested in history during, say, the _school year_?" Tenten sighed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes in defeat. "Isn't that a novel idea, Ino?"

Ino blinked. "History's boring when you're _forced_ to study it."

"No, history isn't torture," Sakura interrupted, coming over with a towering, bright blue towel wrapped around her head, an orangewood stick between her teeth and painting her nails black with white card symbols. She was doing a spade now.

"So what is?" Ino asked.

"History is fine," Sakura said airily, dropping the orangewood stick distractedly. "School is easy. It's one of the more effortless things in life: they give you work, you do it, repeat process."

Ino scowled. "It's not that simple."

"Isn't it?" said Sakura.

"Hinata, could I borrow that book on the Shoguns again?" Ino said loudly, getting up and ignoring Sakura. The green-eyed girl of the two smirked.

"Oooh, I got Ino mad," she taunted, one of her nails turning a gleaming jet black with a graceful stroke of the brush. She retrieved the orangewood stick and began drawing a heart.

"I'm not mad," Ino said stiffly.

"Yeah, you are. You're jealous that I'm smarter than you," Sakura said smartly.

Tenten was half-tempted to just go back to sleep and pretend that this had not been the start of her day, and wake up again in two or three hours when the rest of them were all gone and the room was going to be _quiet_.

Ino slammed the door to the bathroom while Sakura gloated, applying a last coat to her left pinky nail. Tenten inched out of bed and stretched. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, making the glass almost burning hot to the touch. The golden tint settled over their entire dorm, making everything seem brighter. It didn't do much to raise Tenten's mood. The inside of her nose prickled slightly, like a nosebleed was going to come on.

"I'm going down for some water," she said shortly to Sakura, who had draped herself across Tenten's bed without permission.

"You going to the Hyuuga's place after that?" Sakura said in a voice that signified she was still absorbed with painting her nails.

Tenten considered for about a second. "Yeah, I am. See ya."

"Ja ne."

O0O

"I would like to show you something today," said Neji.

Tenten blinked in pleasant surprise. "Is it another curry restaurant?"

"No." Neji smiled slightly in that way of his. "I believe you will eat me out of house and home eventually."

"I paid!" Tenten protested indignantly, and then saw that he must have been joking, and let her cheek muscles pull into a slight smile to mirror his, though no less sincere. He motioned for her to follow him, and stepped out back into the hallway.

"Are we going to the courtyard again?" Tenten asked as their feet made gentle pattering sounds against the ancient wood of the floorboards. A few creaked, but all gleamed like they had just been freshly waxed and polished. Neji briefly shook his head no, a long strand of brown hair falling into his face.

"Another place."

"Where?"

"You will see."

"I hate it when you do that, Neji-kun."

"…"

She sighed and let him walk in silence for a while, trying to idly memorize the pattern of the hallways, just in case she should ever wander down here again. Then, she wouldn't lose her way and have to knock on somebody's bedroom door to ask where she was. But soon, the maze was jumbled in her mind, and the hallways all seemed to look pretty alike. Tenten gave up and just followed Neji.

He led her through a door leading outside, into a courtyard much smaller than the main one they had previously visited. This one had a pond, but with fish swimming in it. It had a bench, too, made of stone and with green moss creepy up the claw footed legs. It was surrounded by a black iron grille, crafted with intricate designs.

"Wow. I didn't know you had another courtyard," Tenten said. "My house barely has a garden."

"Many Hyuugas live here," Neji replied. "Generation after generation, with all of the branches…we all dwell here, excluding the few that choose to leave. The Hyuuga Compound has housed us for many centuries. It dates back-"

"That goldfish is huge!" Tenten interrupted, her brown eyes wide as she stared over the edge of the pool.

Neji sighed. "Your interests puzzle me, Tenten."

"Sorry," she said quickly. "It's a very nice courtyard."

Neji's half-smile was back. "It is not what I was meaning to show you. Come." He pointed out a smooth patch of grass a few feet away and sat down cross-legged in the middle of it, for a fleeting moment looking like the little boy he must have once been.

Tenten sat down, too, facing him. "So…now what?"

"Pray with me," Neji said, his white eyes serious.

"Pray…?" Tenten said quietly, confused. "For what?"

"Anything you desire," Neji replied just as quietly.

"Um. This is a bit…"

"Strange, perhaps?" Neji asked. "Yes…but please, grant me this one favor."

Tenten shrugged. "Well, okay, then…" She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, thinking hard. She had not bothered to really pray for anything in a long time, not since she was a little girl. For a moment, she wondered if she had forgotten how to do it right. But was there any right way to pray? She was tempted to sneak a peak at Neji, and gave in to the overwhelming temptation.

He sat with his hands on his kneecaps, his face tranquil with eyes closed, brown hair around his shoulders. He seemed to be murmuring something very quietly to himself, almost like singing without a tune. It was so unlike Neji, all of the marks that worry had left on his face gone…and it made her feel almost ashamed to have been watching him.

Quickly, she closed her eyes again.

_What do I want to pray for?_

She thought hard. Aki, her mother, of course. Tenten prayed that she was having a good time on her vacation and enjoying herself, whatever she was doing now. Maybe she would bring back a book of postcards, all excited, spreading them over the kitchen table to share with her. Tenten would probably roll her eyes after a while, but she usually thought the pictures printed on the cards were pretty interesting.

She prayed that Naruto would always stay as happy as he was now, half for his sake and half for her own. She slipped in a side prayer for Hinata: that maybe Naruto would learn to appreciate her a bit more.

She prayed for a new outfit for Lee.

Her breathing was relaxed and deep. Tenten smiled to herself. Yes, Lee deserved a new outfit. Perhaps Kiba too. And best wishes to Hana.

_I hope that Sakura will go home and somehow, everything will work out for her family. _She paused and thought for a moment, almost hesitant, and because she was feeling in a good mood, threw in a wish for Uchiha Sasuke. _And let Sakura realize that she doesn't have to be in denial all the time._

_Let the Yamanaka Flower Shop go back into booming business…or at least give them enough business to keep the store open. I hope that Ino gets that pink blouse she's been wanting…the one with the dragonfly. Or was it just a dragon? Well. She'll probably get it anyways, no need to be too specific with that one._

Tenten lifted her eyelids just enough so that through the crack of an opening, she could see Neji. His white eyes were open again, staring passively at her with a blank, nonjudgmental expression. It was comfortable, sitting there in the grass with him, and she discovered that she no longer felt uneasy when he stared at her. She had gotten used to it.

So she closed her eyes fully again, and offered a last prayer for Neji.

_Oh, and please…give Neji-kun something too. I'm not really sure what, he's really a bit of a jerk sometimes. He's not too specific. But something. He at least deserves some sort of happiness, no? Perhaps not the same as Naruto's or Kiba's or Sakura's…but some sort of happiness. Maybe ease his mind a little. He thinks too much._

Tenten found that praying wasn't so hard after all.

O0O

"Back already?" Hinata looked up from her book at Tenten as she entered through the door. The black-haired girl was the only one there.

"Ino-san and S-Sakura went out to s-shop," she explained. "I think Ino-san m-mentioned something about a p-pink blouse with a d-dragonfly on it."

Tenten grinned in amusement. "Oh. Okay."

"Is something f-funny?" Hinata smiled at Tenten's expression.

"Nah, not really," the brunette shook her head. "It's just…I was praying for Ino to get that blouse." Hinata's ebony eyebrows furrowed together slightly in confusion, but her lips were still pulled back into a smile.

"Oh. A-Alright then."

"Are you reading histories again?"

"No, t-this is Ino-san's d-diary."

Tenten whirled around and stared. "_What_?" She might have expected this type of thing from Sakura, but _Hinata?_

Hinata laughed slightly at Tenten's incredulous expression. "S-She gave me permission to r-read it, don't worry! She says that she d-doesn't really use it to write secrets. It's t-true, it's mainly w-wishlists and school n-notes and things."

Tenten exhaled in relief. At least the world hadn't gone mad.

O0O

"Could I borrow a quarter?" Ino asked.

Sakura raised her eyebrow and fished the silver coin from her pocket. "Yeah. Why? Hey! Where're you going?!"

Too late. Ino had dashed into the hallway leading to the elevators, bathrooms, and drinking fountains. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall to wait, her green eyes following random shoppers as they passed by on their errands.

Ino located a public phone that was not being used, and breathlessly stuck the quarter into the slot, her fingers shaking as she pressed the silvery buttons. One ring. Two.

The answering machine picked up and she exhaled in relief.

"Hey, Shika. It's me, Ino. No wait, don't delete this yet. I know that you're really mad at me, and that you probably never want to speak to me again, but, I've gotta say but I've gotta say," Ino said quietly. "I'm really, really sorry. I'm pretty sure you're past the point where you'll accept an apology, and this is pretty random I guess, but I needed to say it. I'm just really sorry for what I did. I suppose it would ruin the moment if I mentioned that I'm completely innocent and that this entire mess is the fault of my roommates, and you wouldn't believe me anyways…" she sighed.

"What I basically called to say was that and-" BEEP. The answering machine cut off. She kicked the wall in frustration, and went back out of the hallway to find Sakura.

"Could I borrow another quarter?" 

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked suspiciously, handing her the quarter. "And a third one's going to cost you, you'll have to pay me back," she warned as Ino dashed back down the hallway.

"…Shika? Hi, Ino again," she said into the receiver once the quarter had disappeared into the designated slot. "Sorry about that." She took a deep breath.

"Well, I just want you to know that I really like you. You're one of my best friends, so I won't push it because I know that you don't feel the same way about me. But I won't get in between you and Temari again." She sighed sadly. "You have no idea how hard it is to give in to that…oh, right, I'm not supposed to badmouth her." She rolled her eyes.

"See ya, then."

She came back out of the hallway. Sakura had her hands on her hips.

"What was that all about?"

"Just something I needed to do," Ino said vaguely.

O0O

There was a knock on the door. Hinata rose from her reading chair, murmuring, "I think that they're b-back." Tenten sat up in her bed a little higher, putting down her own book as well. The night outside their windows was black.

"Naruto!" Tenten exclaimed in mild surprise as the door was opened and her blonde friend stood their, grinning cheekily. "Why are you here this late? I thought that it would be Sakura and Ino!"

Hinata's face turned bright red and she hurriedly stepped to the side so that Naruto could enter. He didn't seem to pay much attention to the mess around the room, (Tenten knew for a fact that Naruto's own room was much messier). "Hey, Hinata-chan," he smiled brightly at her. Hinata smiled tentatively back.

"Oi, Tenten, you borrowed my board," he said matter-of-factly.

Tenten smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh yeah! Sorry, Naruto…" she climbed out of bed and rooted around under the bed for a while before coming up with one of Naruto's backup skateboards. "Here you go."

"Heh heh, sorry, I just remembered," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "That's why I came by so late, so that I wouldn't forget."

"Couldn't you have just written yourself a post-it?"

"Yeah, I could've." Naruto shrugged.

Tenten sighed. "Yeah. Get out, get out, you reek of ramen."

Naruto knew her old routine. "Okay, okay, I'm going." Tenten grouchily allowed him to give her a hug, and then he jokingly bent and kissed Hinata's hand, (Tenten smiled at the expression on her friend's face).

"See ya, then, ladies," Naruto pretended to doff an invisible hat before closing the door behind him.

"Moron," Tenten shook her head.

"He's a-amazing…" Hinata murmured.

-

**A/N: How did you like it? Some mild NaruHina and ShikaIno there…**


	21. Venom

**A/N: …I swear, I was eaten by rampaging llamas and then spat back out and force fed poisonous pizza, and THAT, my dears, is why I have not updated this fanfiction for an eternity and a half.**

**Really.**

**Okay, okay, life got in the way after winter break and I died under impending mounds of homework. Much less interesting explanation. But I don't deserve all of your reviews; I am a terrible updater.**

**-cries- Will you forgive me?**

**--**

**Day 21**

**--**

Tenten was musing to herself.

The summer had gone so differently than she had planned: she had befriended Hinata for one. She had met Uchiha Sasuke, the possible axe murderer of one of her best friends. She had bumped into Karin, whom she had not associated with for months and had no wish to see again. The other day, she had tried the best spicy curry that she had ever tasted, and had a good time with her mental patient.

But did she still consider Neji to be her mental patient? By now, she was solidly convinced of his absolute sanity, (whatever jokes they might make about it). He wasn't dangerous, just secluded from other people and…different. Didn't she know what it felt like to be excluded from normal activities? Most other girls didn't connect with her much.

She was suddenly feeling very lonely as she walked on a burning hot asphalt sidewalk, passing other pedestrians by and realizing vaguely that they had crossed paths just this once in their lives, and would probably never see one another again. All of these people had complicated webs of friends, family, lovers, just as Tenten did, and she became a part of this complicated web for just a split second when they glanced at her on the sidewalk. And then it was gone again.

Lonely. What a stupid word.

_I ought to be grateful_, she thought chidingly to her inner self. _I've got friends and a mother that loves me, (most of the time), and I've got a pretty good life going for me. _She paused for a while.

Tenten thought of Ino and her mastermind matchmaking plots. As strange as it was, Ino and Shikamaru did have their own bond. Perhaps Shikamaru did love Temari, and perhaps the two of them were fighting at this period in time, but Tenten had a sort of strange premonition going in her head that Ino and Shikamaru could never truly be split apart. Maybe they didn't share the type of love that Ino wished for right now, but with time, that might come.

She thought of Sakura and her warped relationship with Uchiha Sasuke, the man of pocket knives and neck tattoos and shark hoop earrings. He did care about her deeply, Tenten thought, in some sort of twisted way. The pair of them were unlike anybody she had ever seen.

There was Hinata and Naruto, two of her best friends. She had already decided to put aside her overprotective, a little jealous, feelings for both of them and let the chips fall where they may.

So where did that leave Tenten, exactly?

She had no desire to change her single status as of the moment, but what about in five years, then ten? Would she still want to be alone then? Tenten didn't want to be the strange old lady with the ten thousand cats.

Tenten found herself in front of the door of the Hyuuga Compound sooner than she had expected. By then, her feet seemed to know the way better than she herself did. She was about to knock when she saw Neji's white eyes watching her from his room a few windows down. She laughed, and ran down along the house to his back door. He was standing there, looking rather amused.

"Tenten," he stated, his lips curling upward.

"Ohayo, Neji-kun," she smiled and sat down on the couch. She exhaled loudly. "Whew, its hot out." Unexpectedly, she felt a tickling sensation in her nose, and sneezed.

"You are sick," said Neji, sitting down across from her.

"No, I'm not," Tenten protested. "It was just a sneeze." Just as she finished speaking, she sneezed again.

"You are," Neji's smile grew more pronounced. "I think that you may have a summer cold, Tenten." He got up again and squatted down to feel her forehead. She blinked in surprise. The gesture of kindness didn't seem a very Neji-like thing to do.

"Your forehead is warm," Neji said with the tiniest of triumphant tones in his voice.

"You're not getting a thermometer anywhere near me," Tenten warned.

"Alright," Neji said reasonably, and sat down next to her on the couch, something he had never done before. Tenten stared at him.

"Really? Just like that? You're going to leave me alone?" she asked in disbelief. Neji raised both eyebrows, as if to ask, _why wouldn't I_?

"It's just that…usually my mother just ignores all of my complaining and jabs the thermometer into my armpit anyways," Tenten explained sheepishly.

"Hn," said Neji.

Tenten yawned. "I'm so tired today. It's probably the heat that's doing it to me; it always makes my head feel kind of fuzzy." She laughed lightly. "Does it do that to you, too?"

"No," said Neji flatly.

Tenten felt very strange all of a sudden. Her vision swam a little, and a dull ringing sounded in her ears. She sighed. The last thing she remembered was falling backwards onto the couch, and everything disappearing.

o0o

Tenten was waking up.

First came sounds that she could hear: the gentle whispering of wind and the rustling of some sort of fabric. Then she could feel warm sunlight touching her forehead and arms, and she was aware that it was a very hot day. At least she didn't have on blankets. Blearily, she opened her eyes.

Neji was sitting on a stool next to her, his white eyes carefully watchful. He was holding a steaming cup of some sort of transparent brown liquid. He smiled slightly at her confused expression, and handed the cup to her.

"Drink. It will make you feel better," he said quietly.

Tenten sniffed the cup. The faint scent of brown sugar wafted to her nose. She drank greedily, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Thanks," she said gratefully. Neji didn't bother to reply. "What happened?" Tenten asked him.

"You fainted," Neji said matter-of-factly.

"I _what_?" Tenten said incredulously, feeling utterly humiliated. She had never done that sort of thing before.

"You lost consciousness," Neji said again.

"I know, I heard you," Tenten said hastily. "Its just, fainting isn't usually the way that I roll." Neji arched an eyebrow.

"You do not get to choose when you faint," he said, sounding amused.

"How long was I out for?" Tenten moaned, holding her head, which was warm, but probably just from the sunlight shafting in through Neji's window. She realized that he had been keeping the blinds up so that the window was open a lot more lately.

Neji shrugged vaguely. "Five, maybe ten minutes. You slept like a dead pig."

"Gee, thanks," Tenten rolled her eyes and laughed. "I can tell that you were _awfully _worried about me," she let playful sarcasm leak into her voice.

"I was," Neji said very seriously. Tenten was taken aback.

"You were?" she said blankly. "But...I was just joking about that," she stammered.

"Hn," said Neji. "Why should I not be concerned about your wellbeing? You are the only person who has ever bothered to…." He trailed off, seemingly unable to think of the words he wanted.

Tenten relaxed, and lay down on her stomach on the couch, her chin on her folded arms, and looked at Neji. "You know, I feel really safe with you," she said. "I'm usually the one that has to look out for my mother, because I'm the stronger one physically and maybe mentally. I'm used to taking care of myself. It's the way that I live. But I feel like you take care of me sometimes, and that's a nice change for me, you know?" Tenten said all in a rush. "You make me feel safe," she repeated to herself.

Neji stared at her passively with his white eyes with the strangest expression on his face. "Perhaps that is the same thing that you make me feel," he finally said. "Safe."

Tenten laughed. "Wow, we're such a pair of nerds. I've never been a fan of all this let's-talk-about-feelings junk. But really, it's true. I feel like you protect me from…myself? I don't know," she laughed again, louder this time.

Neji's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. "I am glad, then."

o0o

Neji ended up walking Tenten home to the boarding house even though it was broad daylight. He said that she would probably pass out again and be lying under a bus the next time he saw her if he didn't. Although Tenten highly doubted this fact and protested for a very long time, Neji won anyways. As usual.

"I'm going to stop at the Starbucks for coffee," Tenten explained. "You could come if you want," she suggested.

Neji shook his head. "I highly dislike coffee." Tenten drew in a sharp breath of mock horror, but nodded.

"Okay, then. Thanks for walking me."

"Hn," said Neji. He faded into the crowd a few moments later, and Tenten got in line for coffee.

A few minutes later, she was carrying the coffee, (iced, it was too hot for normal), when she realized that she was hungry. She went up to the dorm, set down the drink.

Sakura was doodling something on a little scrap of paper. It was a chibi depiction of Ino with her hair cropped short like a boy's and huge muscles. Ino was actually laughing at the picture, and even Hinata was smiling. This was unusual.

Tenten suggested that she go and get curry for all of them from the place that Neji had shown her. Ino was laughing too hard to reply, but Sakura wanted some, and so did Hinata.

Tenten walked back down the steps and out into the sunshine once more.

o0o

The curry shop was practically empty at this hot part of day, save for a few customers sitting at random tables. A few waitresses and a waiter were sitting at a booth for four and chatting over a plate of the house specialty, but Karin was nowhere to be seen.

Curiously, Tenten poked her head behind the reception desk, and then wandered off towards the women's restroom and figured that she would comb out her hair while she waited for somebody to get back, because all of her bangs were sticking to her forehead, and her buns were frizzing.

She rounded a corner and froze.

A white-haired boy with thin, slanted eyes and skin so pale it was tinged almost blue had Karin pressed against the wall and was kissing her with reckless abandon. His hands were tangled in her hair, and it looks like he was pulling roughly on it, but Karin seemed to be enjoying herself too much to mind. All of their limbs were entangled, and she kept making little purring noises. Tenten gagged, and then cleared her throat.

The boy pulled away from her and grinned demonically at her, revealing canines even sharper than Sakura's. Tenten stared at him with a jolt of recognition. _Suigetsu._

Karin straightened her shirt and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her face flushed. Suigetsu still had her pressed against the wall, and she grinned at T enten.

"Yo," she said, not the least bit embarrassed. "Sup." Her syllables were slurred. It sounded like she was drunk. She giggled when Suigetsu leaned down to place a butterfly kiss on her jawbone. Tenten raised her eyebrow.

"You people have take out, right?" Tenten said.

"Sure…sure…" Karin said distractedly, and giggled again, pushing Suigestsu playfully away from her. He grinned and took it in stride, sauntering off with his hands in his pockets. "Come over here," Karin motioned.

"Whaddya want?" she asked from behind the hostess counter a few seconds later, still sounding punch-drunk and throwing Tenten a folder with a menu in it.

"Just four of the plain curry, one of them extra spicy," Tenten said coldly, tossing the menu back to the red-headed girl. She caught it with surprising agility and placed it neatly and calmly back onto the stack.

"Alright then."

Five minutes later, Tenten was walking out in the sunshine with plastic bags filled with takeout boxes, which were in turn filled with steaming curry. She felt a sort of disgust with Karin. She had never used to be like this. They had used to have fun together. Now, Tenten wondered how they could ever have been friends.

Sakura and Ino devoured the curry with enthusiasm, but Hinata ate slowly with her back stiff and wiped her mouth every now and then with a napkin. "This is v-very good, Tenten-san," she commented, smiling. "I've n-never had curry that's c-cooked so well."

"Neither have I. Cheers, Weapons Mistress!" Sakura said, toasting Tenten with a fork.

Tenten laughed and watched the three girls eating around her, lounging in the dorm.

_These are my friends_, she realized. _Hinata and Naruto and Lee and Sakura and Ino and maybe even Kiba. Not Karin. Not Suigetsu._

She smiled to herself. _And there's Neji, my personal bodyguard._

o0o

Sakura woke in the middle of the night in pitch darkness. She lay still in her top bunk for a few minutes, not quite sure what had caused her to wake up. For all she knew, it could have been because Ino had shifted and a squeaky spring moved. She was that light of a sleeper.

But then the sound came again: a gentle tapping on their door.

She got up and silently made her way across the wood. Hinata turned in her sleep, but otherwise, her friends seemed undisturbed. She opened the door a tiny crack. She couldn't see anybody outside. She opened it a little more, cursing that they didn't have a peephole.

Her green eyes widened and she gave a start. Uchiha Sasuke was standing there, leering at her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. She motioned for him to go with her down the steps where they could talk without being heard.

Once they were outside, she opened her mouth to yell at him, but he stopped her with a look. She took a deep breath and started talking in a more subdued voice. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

He smirked, amused. "You and the blonde strung toilet paper streamers from my home. You didn't believe that I would just let you be after that…_thoughtful_ message of yours?"

"I didn't paint it, Ino did," Sakura said defensively.

"I should hope so," Sasuke chuckled darkly. "It sounded too cliché for one such as you, little cherry blossom."

"I hate it when you do that," she muttered venomously.

"Do what?" he said innocently.

"Call me that," she said. "You know perfectly well that if it weren't for that fact that I would probably raise an alarm right now, I would most likely hit you in the jaw."

"Hn," he said.

"I didn't think you would hold a grudge for something like teepeeing your house," Sakura mused.

"I don't," Sasuke said quietly.

"So why are you here?" Sakura asked, having expected this.

"It's a full moon out," Sasuke said vaguely.

"The Hell does that have to do with anything?" Sakura asked. "Would you get to the point for once?"

"Your eyes are lovely at this time of night," he said in that same vague voice. She stared at him incredulously.

"You came here to tell me that my eyes are pretty in the moonlight? What kind of crazy sap have you turned into? What are you going to do next, start throwing rocks at my window and play me a serenade?" Sakura said sarcastically.

"Witty as always," he said, his tone amused, using his thumb and forefinger to tilt her chin up to look at him. Her eyes burned with resentment.

"Don't give me that crap," she said softly.

"Sakura, you know why I am here," he replied in return.

"Why is that?" she said, playing along with him.

His lips curled into a trademark smirk. Automatically, her features twisted in response into an identical expression, and he laughed slightly in a low tone.

"Because I owe you my soul," he said, and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

--

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed it!!**


	22. Darkness and Shadows

**A/N: I am gradually adjusting back into a fanfiction-writing schedule, despite my lazy nature…**

**Perhaps it's because I have found several songs that I love. That always helps.**

…**Have fun reading?**

**--**

**Day 22**

**--**

Sakura was humming.

She quietly made her bed, shaking out the sheets with care and folding the sleeping back into a roll at the head. When Ino woke up, the pink-haired girl let the blonde use the restroom first, and went down the street to get them breakfast.

When she got back, she was smiles all over, and even set the table.

Tenten raised her eyebrow at her friend. "Wow. This is new."

"Can't a girl get her friends their breakfast?" Sakura replied cheerfully, digging in as she spoke and chewing vigorously on the flaky fried pastry. Ino rolled her eyes and took a tiny, disdainful bite as well.

"No, once _you_ start doing that is when we start worrying," she snorted. Hinata smiled slightly.

"Did you h-have a good dream?" she asked innocently, tearing her food in half and spearing it with a glinting metal fork. 

"Better," Sakura mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Ino wrinkled her nose in disgust and intrigue at the same time. Tenten had long since given up on imitating how Ino managed to wrinkle just the skin on the bridge of her nose. It looked like something out of a comic strip.

"So what happened?" the blonde insisted.

Sakura let a vague grin travel across her features, just to irk Ino more. "Uchiha came to visit me last night."

_SMASH!_

The shards of Ino's plate clattered to the floor with a bang, and Hinata leaped out of her chair as if she had been bitten. Tenten flinched and stared at the mess of blue pottery now scattered over the wood, and sighed. No doubt she would be forced to clean that up once Ino was done yelling at Sakura.

But the yelling never came. Instead, the blonde gaped open-mouthed at the pink-haired beauty. Then her blue eyes glinted mischievously. "Did you two have fun?"

Hinata flushed scarlet, Tenten gagged, but Sakura laughed. "Sure we did, but I assure you, it wasn't in any proximity with a bed."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Your mom."

O0O

Tenten ambled out into the sunlight an hour later, humming tunelessly in her throat. It as more of a buzz really, but it helped relax her and somehow caused her to think more clearly. She carefully treaded on all of the large pebbles imbedded in the sidewalk, almost running into a few other pedestrians as she did so.

She crossed the street and in between two large, brick apartment buildings. The alleyway was dark and lonely, filled with trashcans. She knew that you weren't supposed to navigate that type of setting without a buddy at least, and avoid it altogether if you could, but it was broad daylight and Tenten was sure she could take care of herself.

She was about halfway down the path when something skidded across the floor behind her and hit the heel of her shoe with a resounding clatter.

Tenten turned to see that it had been a trash can lid. And behind the now stationary lid about ten meters away was a leering Suigetsu, hands in his jeans pockets and white hair seeming all the more shocking in the bright sunlight streaming between the buildings.

Beside him on the left was another boy. This one seemed much calmer than Suigetsu. His eyes stared passively at Tenten from a doleful face, though there was nothing stupid-looking in that stare. Intelligence was written all over his expression. He didn't keep Tenten's attention for long.

On Suigetsu's other side was a man with long and straight black hair and serpentine violet eyes. His skin was so pale as to appear unhealthy, and he kept flicking his tongue out of his mouth like a snake. Tenten glanced at all three of them warily.

"What do you want?" she snapped at Suigetsu. "Leave me alone."

He shrugged. "Ah, so prone to temper, little Tenten." He turned to the relaxed boy next to him with the knowing eyes. "Juugo, this one's rather feisty, don't you think? All the more fun to play with." He grinned, revealing the pointed canines.

Juugo laid a restraining hand on Suigetsu's shoulder. "Don't get carried away."

The black-haired man smiled sinisterly. "Oh, but we wouldn't want to ruin his fun, would we, Juugo?"

Juugo hesitated, and then withdrew his hand, bowing his head. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

Tenten's brown eyes widened and felt her blood run cold as a tremor ran down her spine. _…Orochimaru!_

The snake-like man seemed to catch her hesitation, because he smiled even wider in almost a friendly way. "I see you have heard of me, little girl."

"You…" Tenten said uncertainly. "You're that drug dealer."

Orochimaru placed an intrigued expression on his face. Suigetsu snarled slightly. "'Course, the Snake here ain't just any old drug dealer. He's the best." The feral grin was back, as if he were teasing Tenten. "I bet you think he's quite handsome, don't you, little Tenten?"

Tenten felt an angry blush rise up her neck as Suigetsu roared with laughter.

"I suggest you back off, if you want to keep all your limbs," she said in a barely controlled tone.

Suigetsu laughed wildly and leaned forward slightly into an aggressive stance. "You stole the words right out of my mouth." 

He lunged forward just as Tenten did. He had good aim, Tenten realized. The white-haired boy threw a punch at her jaw, which she blocked relatively easily, and then tried to hit her in the diaphragm with the other fist. She caught that too, and maneuvered so that her next snap kick should have connected soundly with his second and third ribs.

It didn't. He twisted agilely away, and tripped her. 

Tenten sprawled in the dirt, but vaulted back up so that Suigetsu's punch landed right where her face had been a second before. She threw a few hits at him, he blocked. He aimed for the side of her neck, she twisted and blocked that. They were pretty evenly matched, until Suigetsu faked a right punch and she fell for it. 

Tenten realized that she had left an opening just as Suigetsu reached up and pinned her by the neck to the wall.

His grip tightened slightly around her throat and she sputtered, wincing, as she tried to pry his fingers away to no avail. He easily pinned her two fists above her head.

"Not so loud now, eh, Tenten?" he breathed into her face. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Go to Hell, Suigetsu," she choked out.

Suigetsu laughed loudly, and dug his nails into her flesh. She refused to cry out, though her eyes watered. "Beg for me to let you go, Tenten, eh?" he said. "Plead for me to spare you."

She spat in his face.

"Ah, well, you had your chance," he said serenely. "I'll take care of her," Suigetsu called to Juugo and Orochimaru. The two nodded and walked around and out of the alley the back way leading towards people and safety.

"What shall we do with you now," Suigetsu purred once the two were out of sight. His tongue flicked out against her ear and Tenten recoiled in disgust. "Eh, Tenten-_chan_? Exactly what punishment would be _good_ enough for you?" She lashed out and attempted to kick him in the shin, but he jumped to the side slightly and then slammed her to the wall with his entire body so hard that she saw stars. She couldn't even wiggle her toes, let alone try a kick now.

"Behave now," he cooed, releasing her neck and trailing his hand down to her waist. "Don't try anything." He nudged the thin sweatshirt she had been wearing off of her shoulders and stroked his fingers along her collarbone.

Tenten opened her mouth to scream, but his hand was over her mouth just as fast. "I don't like that," he said in the same amused voice. "Do try to be more docile."

"I do not think that is possible for her," said a voice.

Tenten's eyes widened just as Suigetsu whirled around and released her. She collapsed on the floor of the alleyway, coughing and sputtering. 

"…N-Neji?" she choked out in disbelief.

His white eyes were cold and furious under his calm demeanor, she could tell. "Who are you?" he demanded of Suigetsu.

The white-haired boy shrugged, his easygoing personality immediately back in place. "Nobody of importance, I assure you…pleased to meet your acquaintance, none the less!"

Suigetsu rushed forward meaning to give a blow to the head, but Neji caught his wrist and twisted it so that Suigetsu's expression contorted in pain. He wrenched his wrist free a moment later, wincing, and swung again. This time, Neji blocked and punched back.

The scuffle was over in under a minute. Suigetsu was lying in a bloody heap by the wall, barely conciousness with bruises and cuts all over and panting. Neji had a growing purple bruise under his eye and was clutching his ribcage as though it were broken, but he was still standing.

Neji turned towards Tenten, who was still on the ground and staring at him as if in shock. The fury in his eyes had subsided. "Tenten," he acknowledged, stumbling a little as he walked over and held out a hand. She took it and he hauled her up. Unexpectedly, she threw her arms around him and buried her face his shoulder.

Neji's back stiffened, but tentatively he patted her on the back. Tenten's fists tightened on the fabric of the shirt on his back and she clutched him even tighter. Neji sighed and resigned himself to the fact that she was hysterical and not letting go anytime soon, and hugged her back.

O0O

"Oh my _God_, you freaking _idiot_!" Ino fussed over Tenten as she poured the girl in question a cup of hot tea."What kind of person takes shortcuts through dark alleys without other people with them? Especially if they're a girl?" Ino demanded as she pulled out a chair and sat down across from Tenten.

"I did," Sakura said pointedly as she, too, pulled out a chair and sat down on Tenten's left. 

"Yeah, and look where that got you," Ino scoffed.

Tenten smiled slightly into her cup of scalding hot tea. Hinata came over too, and grabbed another mug to pour tea into.

"You s-should be more careful, T-Tenten-san!" she said worriedly. "Next time, Neji-nii-san might n-not be there to help you!"

Tenten set her mug down firmly on the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I know, and I was really lucky," she said, rubbing her throat. The tea had helped her voice to recover a little.

"Hell yeah, you were," Sakura laughed. "Wish I had that sort of luck. I mean, if he had come by like a _second_ later…" She trailed off into silence. 

"What was he doing around there anyways?" Ino asked curiously.

Tenten shrugged. "I didn't ask. A lot was going on, if you didn't catch the drift," she said sarcastically. 

"Well, you were g-going to the Hyuuga compound, right?" Hinata asked. "Perhaps Neji-nii-san had been c-coming to meet you."

Tenten shrugged again noncommittally. "Probably. In any case, I'm grateful that he was there." She shuddered slightly as she thought of Suigetsu's wild eyes and his nails digging into her neck. She wondered if Karin had the slightest inkling of what the boy did with his free time.

She thought about it, and concluded that she probably did. Karin wasn't the type that could be kept oblivious to that sort of secret. Yet, she chose to stay with him. For what reason, Tenten couldn't imagine. Perhaps she was addicted to some illegal substance that he had in copious amounts.

"Hey, we should go out today," Ino suggested.

"Why?" Tenten asked dully.

"To cheer you up, of course," Sakura smiled and straightened the plaid tie she was wearing over a plain black tank top embroidered with the words UDON ROCKS MY WORLD. Tenten raised her eyebrows and decided not to ask.

Ino straightened her two high pigtails and the pink dragonfly shirt that she was wearing. "Shopping, anybody?" Tenten and Hinata exchanged a silent look. Neither of them were big fans of the mall.

"P-Perhaps we could go to the park and s-skateboard?" Hinata suggested to everybody's surprise.

"But I thought that you hated skateboarding!" Tenten said.

Hinata smiled a little. "I think it's an a-acquired liking of mine."

Tenten joined her friends as they went out the door.

O0O

She sat out for most of the skateboarding session at the park. Naruto and Lee had come along, so they taught Hinata how not to fall flat on her face while she zoned out.

Tenten had never been the type to mope for long periods of time, cry unnecessarily, be frightened of things such as bugs and the dark that other girls were, or feel sorry for herself, (well, perhaps she did do that one a lot). She had never been disturbed by scary movies, and she dealt with stressful things relatively well. 

She was a bit surprised that she wasn't feeling more…well, _something_ at least. She had just been through one of the most traumatizing situations in her life and now she was sitting in a sunny park skateboarding with her friends. She didn't feel very strange. Mostly anger and disgust with Suigetsu, and disappointment that she had lost so badly to him, yes. But she was no longer frightened or…or…whatever else was normal to feel.

Hm. Strange.

The next time that Naruto whined that she wasn't skateboarding enough that day, she smiled at him, got up, and took her board.

She proceeded to do better than him at all of the tricks he had been teaching Hinata.

--

**A/N: God, I'm updating so slowwwlly now --; That was an interesting chapter to write…xD**


	23. Of Milk and Onigiri

A/N: Well, the last chapter was…interesting xD To say the least

**A/N: Well, the last chapter was…interesting xD To say the least.**

**I never really intended for it to turn into the classic damsel-in-distress scene, (I have a pet peeve, and at the same time, a soft spot for that), but that's what it ended up turning into. –shrug- As long as you guys are happy, I guess.**

**And thanks for the heads-up about shrink rules xD. As I am NOT the daughter of a psychologist, (not even close…), I seriously had no idea whatsoever. In any case, I was pretty sure that most of the stuff that happens in this story isn't legal to begin with anyways, so it sort of cancels out, compared to all the gang fights and dark alleyways…**

**And of course, Neji is actually sane, and all of his psychologists, and Hiashi, and Tenten, are aware of this…so you could say that it's a political masquerade of sorts…?**

**Due to death threats—er, constant nagging…I have finally gotten my lazy bum around to updating. For those of you who decided to stick around…a million hugs and a couple of fresh-baked cookies. With ice cream! Yay!**

…**Enjoy the chapter!**

**--**

**Day 23**

**--**

"No."

"Hey, hey! Just gimme a chance!" Ino whined pleadingly with the stubborn Tenten, who was promptly hiding behind an upside-down history book on samurai. "You won't ever listen to anything I say," she went on to accuse.

"Yes, because most of it turns out to be absolutely a waste of time," Tenten grumbled under her breath, pushing Ino out of the way and righting the book.

"Shut up," Ino muttered.

"Did you know that samurai women blackened their teeth for fashion?" Tenten retorted.

Ino stared blankly at her.

"Owned!" Sakura crowed at the blonde. Ino's blue eyes narrowed dangerously in the cherryhead's direction, and then zoomed back to Tenten.

"As I was trying to explain before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," she cleared her throat, "was that we should put on a bake sale for charity."

Tenten put down her book, eyebrows arched well into her hair. "Of all times, you decide _now_ that you want to help the homeless? Is this a prank, or am I dreaming?"

Hinata slid down to sit next to Tenten by the beanbag. "No, I-Ino-san needs to help raise money for her f-family's flower shop." She promptly pretended not to see Ino's betrayed expression.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Sakura asked from her top bunk, pulling out an earplug.

"It's not like you would have listened," Ino muttered.

"Hinata did," Tenten pointed out. The black-haired girl twiddled her fingers together and fidgeted much like she always had. Tenten was slowly and steadily working to improve her own idea of self-worth and confidence, but it was a very tedious journey. Hinata was so shy that it would have been impossible to believe unless you saw it with your own eyes.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Well, let's get crackin' then!"

O0O

Two hours later, the four girls stood at the small kitchen in their dorm room, surrounded by plastic bags filled with bags of white flour, brown sugar, eggs, butter, a new frying pan, a spatula, a box of aluminum foil, two bags of sugar, a huge bag of chocolate chips, several brownie mix containers…the list went on.

"Well…who's money is this coming out of?" Tenten whispered weakly.

The four very broke girls all glanced at each other, hoping in vain for a volunteer. Ino sighed. "I guess you guys are all going to make me pay in the end, so I might as well say I'll do it now."

"That's okay…why don't the f-four of us just split the cost?" Hinata suggested quickly. "It would be more fair, since we're all taking p-part in this. It's our project as much as it is yours now, Ino-san," she said diplomatically.

"Fine by me," Tenten said, shrugging. "Although Yumi will probably stop paying me soon, since I haven't been to the office for so long."

Sakura smirked. "Looking for more time with Neji-kun, eh?"

Tenten ignored her and instead unknotted the nearest grocery bag, pulling out one of the flour bags and the dark chocolate chips.

"Hm. Where's the eggs?" she asked, searching.

Ino grinned sheepishly as she held up a bag dripping yellow yolk. "Found 'em."

"God, they put them in the bottom," Sakura moaned, pulling out the ruined sticky mess of stuff in the plastic and tossing it into the trashcan. "All that money…goneeeee…" she wailed.

"Relax, it's just the cheap bread I got for our lunch," Ino soothed her. "I can go back for more later. Besides, there's still 8 eggs in here that aren't ruined…and I think we bought another package that's around here someplace…"

There _was_ another carton of eggs, they soon discovered. It was hiding with the sugar.

Hinata whipped out a giant bowl, and dumped in brownie mix, milk, eggs, and chocolate chips. She took out a wooden stirring spoon and began to mash up the mess. Soon, it had started to look less like quicksand and more like lumpy mud.

"Smells good, looks real nasty," Sakura commented, relieving Hinata of her stirring shift and vigorously beating the purple-brown gunk in the bowl. She secretively dipped her finger in and sucked on it when she thought that Ino wasn't looking, and winked conspiratorially at Tenten.

Tenten laughed and flicked a small pile of flour at Sakura. Sakura blinked, as she now had white powder on the tip of her nose, green eyes narrowed.

"Ooh, Weapons Mistress, you goin' down!" she crowed.

Tenten went back to rolling out dough for funnel cake, perfectly unconcerned with the threat. She had a full bag of flour waiting as backup, sitting on the counter next to her.

Hinata and Ino were pouring over a cookbook, trying to decide whether or not their limited baking skills would be enough to make some sort of cake or pie. "Hey, did we buy any pie crust?" Ino questioned randomly.

"Don't think so," Sakura said, pounding a lump of powder in the brownie mix to dust. "I didn't think that you wanted to make pies."

"Well, I didn't think I'd want to either," the blonde admitted. She blew out a breath that made her long bangs flutter. "Maybe I'll just go back and buy some later."

"So…where are we setting this up?" Tenten asked fifteen minutes later, having put the funnel cake aside for a while to mash up some strawberry jam.

"I was thinking the park," Ino decided on the spot. "I mean, lots of people pass by during the summer…"

"Hinata would like that," Tenten laughed. Hinata, (in a very non-Hinata-like manner), flicked a puff of flour at Tenten. The result was a large white spot spanning across the bun-haired girl's nose and cheeks. The Weapons Mistress coughed in mild surprise.

"Wow."

She then proceeded to flick a few drops of brown sugar at Hinata. It splattered over her cheekbone. The black-haired heiress let out a small _eep!_ of surprise and flinched out of the way of Tenten's next assault, which landed on Ino.

The blonde let out a low, angry growl. "Oh no you _didn't!_" she cried.

Screaming and flying powder ensued. Pandemonium reigned, and it was a miracle that nobody was hurt. Tenten and Ino were throwing fistfuls of fluffy white flour at each other, Sakura had somehow managed to get her hands on the eggs and was now dripping with yellow goop, and Hinata tried to hide but did not succeed. Instead, she resorted to the miniature chocolate chips to defend herself with.

Five minutes later, it was all over with. Ino let out a sigh as she looked at the floor all around her, covered in all of their baking supplies. "I'm not cleaning that up."

Tenten, who's face was chalk white and hair was gray from all of the caked flour, laughed. It turned into a cough partway through, and a cloud of white emerged around her face.

"The brownie mix is a-alright," Hinata murmured, getting up and seeing that the bowl was still upright.

"Thank God," Sakura moaned.

Pause.

"I get the shower first," said Ino.

O0O

**Two Hours Later**

The girls had set up in the park as planned, near the skateboarding pipes. Several large pieces of butcher paper served as a tablecloth, and the plates that their sweets were piled on were, more often than not, chipped and yellowing. Several had blue designs on them. All were borrowed from the landlady.

They could have picked a better day: the park was so empty that it looked like some shoot-em-up cowboys had decided to ride through town. Tenten was half-expecting to see a lonely tumbleweed cartwheel by.

Although no such thing happened, the loneliness in the air of the usually crowded park was unmistakable. Sakura was impatiently tapping the heel of her foot against the brick wall she was sitting on. Ino had started compulsively straightening the trays of sweets. Even incredibly patient Hinata was looking a little disappointed.

Tenten sighed, and dug out Ino's cell phone from her pocket, (the secret of how it had gotten there was a long story for another time). She quickly dialed in Naruto's number, and waited while the call went through.

Naruto picked up on the second ring. "Hey, Tenten-chan!" he said loudly. Thank God for caller ID.

"Naruto, I need you down at the park…"

"But I've got plans with my friends!" he whined. Tenten ground her teeth in a dangerous way while Ino and Sakura stared hopefully at her.

"…right about now would be nice," she emphasized. "Bring the guys if you have to. Actually, round up as many people as possible and attract attention along the way. There's absolutely no human life at all down here."

"Fine, fine," her blonde friend grumbled, but she could tell that he was only putting on a show to save his pride. "See you in five." He hung up.

"Well?" Ino prodded as soon as Tenten pressed the end-call button and handed the cell phone back to the blonde. In her excitement, Ino didn't even seem to notice that her cell phone had been in Tenten's possession all this time.

"Naruto's coming down with his buddies," Tenten laughed. "This party's getting started!"

O0O

It turned out that Naruto had been the best person to call. His original group had consisted of Akamaru with Kiba, Shino, and Lee. Along the way, they seemed to have picked up a small army.

Several workers from Aki's office had shown up, including Yumi, (much to Tenten's distaste. The taste of sweets is inevitably ruined by the appearance of your boss). Anko was there, looking like she had brought her sweet tooth. Tenten recognized Saburo as well, the guy who had first given her the call to offer a job.

The landlady of the boarding house had brought her family. Ino's parents and her brown-haired little brother had made it. Tenten saw several people from her school, mostly familiar faces. Tayuya and Kin were among them. They smiled tentatively at her, and she offered a meek grin back. Apparently, they didn't hang with the same crowd as Karin anymore.

Hiashi and Hanabi and Neji stood quietly off to the side, as was their way. Tenten immediately headed over to them, grinning broadly. Hiashi nodded at her, and Hanabi gave her a peace sign before the two headed off to join the growing crowd around the bake sale table.

"I didn't think you liked brownies and stuff," Tenten said to Neji.

He grunted. "I didn't come for the food."

"What else is there? You don't like large crowds or family gatherings or whatnot either," she replied, confused. She would have assumed that even if Hanabi and Hiashi and Hinata were all here, Neji would have opted for the quiet isolation of his bedroom, (albeit brightened once Tenten had managed to reverse the close-shutter policy).

Neji managed a stiff shrug. "Naruto can be rather persuasive. You don't give him enough credit."

"Naruto doesn't have enough brains for credit, but hey, I love him anyways," Tenten laughed. "You make me seem like the village idiot, though. I'm sure your brain is as packed as any textbook."

"I would admit to that, perhaps," Neji's white eyes glinted with amusement.

"Hey! I baked some of the stuff, you know," Tenten pouted. "I'm not all that useless."

"True. I cannot bake anything."

"Tch. I knew that."

"…"

"Well, come on! What kind of guy like you bakes?"

"That, Tenten, is a very wrong stereotype."

"It's not like you've ever done anything to prove it wrong. Why shouldn't I go with stereotypes until strong evidence says otherwise?"

"Hn."

She made an exasperated sound somewhere in between a hiccup, sigh, and laugh. "You know what, I'm going to feed you. What do you like best, cookies, or brownies, or cake, or onigiri…"

"Nothing, thank you," he said, "Although I appreciate the offer. Do you have any milk?"

"…Milk?"

"Yes."

"Er, no. But I'll get you some! There's a grocery store around the corner. Wanna come?"

The two turned the sidewalk and exited the scene of the madhouse bake sale.

O0O

It was a while before Ino and the others noticed that Tenten and Neji had disappeared. Ino was crazy trying to sell goods at a fast pace. The line just seemed to get longer and longer as curious passerby stopped to see what all the commotion was about and decided to buy some treats once they discovered that it was a bake sale.

Thankfully, the girls had made enough treats to feed a small army. Their stock was rapidly decreasing, but was still nowhere near dwindling. Hinata was beside herself trying to satisfy all of the customers.

"An onigiri, please," said a quiet drawl.

Ino looked up so fast that she felt her neck bone give a little crack.

Shikamaru smiled a slight, uncertain smile at her. It was a moment before Ino could snap out of it. The corner of her lip twitched up a little, but she lowered her head quickly, and picked up one of the rice balls with meat in the center. "It's 150 yen."

He coughed up the money and placed it in her palm, wrapping her fingers around it. "Thanks, Ino."

He had vanished back into the crowd before she could reply.

--

**A/N: Ha! An update! Not one of my most eventful chapters…but at least it was something, I guess, lol. I hope you guys thought so too!!**


	24. Movie

A/N: Hey, peeps…

**A/N: Hey, peeps…**

**It's little me, back from Paris…**

**Not really.**

**But I did have to take a break from writing fanfics for a while. For…creative reasons…(coughlazinesscough). So, my apologies, and as a sorry-present, I present the next chapter in the Poisoned Cinnamon fanfic! Enjoy. (-spoiler-OMG, Itachi's innocent…-insert mad giggle here-xD) Geez, it turns out most of the most popular conspiracy theories about Naruto were right after all O.o**

**--**

**Day 24**

**--**

"Tenten…will you marry me?"

All blushing brilliance and just the right amount of shyness, a very red Tenten nodded weakly at Neji, who was currently poised over her hand like he was about to kiss it on bended knee.

The fact that they had an audience wasn't making it any better.

And she was wearing a _dress_. A fluffy, poufy, it-wears-you and all white _wedding_ dress with full out seven flounces.

She didn't even want to know what kind of state her feet would be in once she got out of those blasted high heels…

But she had more important things to worry about.

Neji's pale, opal-like eyes were staring up at her with the most serious expression set into his pale face, his cheekbones sort-of sucked in like he was actually holding his breath in anticipation of her reply.

Tenten opened her mouth…

Two things happened at once. She let out a burp that she had been trying to suppress for the past minute, and the strings that Ino had tied extra-tight around her waist popped.

"CUT!! Tenten, you have _got_ to stop eating so much curry!" Ino shook her head and pranced onto the set waving around her favorite, official-looking clipboard. She turned to Neji, who had gotten up to standing position and looking like he was not concerned at all about what had just happened. Tenten grimaced as Ino beamed at Neji like he was the rising sun.

"That was an amazing performance, Neji-san!" Ino said with gusto, giving Tenten a pointed look. "I didn't know you could act like that."

Of course, _nobody_ had thought that Neji could act like that. Neji, for God's sake, was an ice cube. He wasn't actually supposed to have facial expressions, let alone know how to propose to a girl.

Tenten had been more than a little disgruntled when Ino had decided to begin filming a movie for her photography class that would begin in the fall. She had described it as "great practice ground for my future career" and had talked about it so incessantly that Tenten had eventually given in and taken a part.

How Ino had got Neji in on it was still a mystery.

In any case, Tenten had weaseled and whined about her part of the blushing bride: wouldn't Hinata have been better suited for the part, seeing her natural blushing talents? And what was with the fact that she was already WEARING THE WEDDING DRESS when Neji was proposing? It just didn't match up.

Obviously, Ino had no directing skills. But she pretended she did. Or she was really good at convincing herself that she had real talent.

As the cast disbanded for a short fifteen minute break while Ino vented some steam about Tenten's mistake, the bun-haired girl walked out into the hallway to get away from all of the hubbub in their dorm.

It wasn't long before she heard soft footsteps, and then Neji came out to sit next to her against the wall on the ground.

"You can laugh," she said flatly.

Neji kept a remarkably innocent straight face. "Burping is healthy."

Tenten snorted. "Not when you're supposed to be answering a proposal."

Neji shrugged. "It is just your friend's summer project. You are taking it too seriously."

"Me? You're the one that's going full out I-Am-In-Love acting skills."

"I believe it is best to try your best at everything. But you, Tenten, should not be too hard on yourself for making mistakes."

"You sound like my mother."

"…I should like to meet her sometime, then."

"I'll get it on videotape, don't worry."

They sat in silence for a while, before Tenten spoke on a sudden thought.

"Are you actually going to propose to Hinata?"

Neji looked at her with the face that was labeled "surprise". "Why would I need to propose to her? We both know that we are to be wed in a matter of years. Hiashi-sama has arranged for it to be so."

Tenten stared at him and tried to echo his serious expression on her own features. "But…" she struggled with words. "Where's the love in that? Or even the romance, for that matter?"

"There is none," Neji said matter-of-factly. "It is a necessary sacrifice that we make for our clan." He paused slightly, and then said softly, "I consider it an honor."

Tenten bit her lip. "Well, even if you think it's alright to just throw away your chance at true love like that…what about Hinata? Don't you think that she at least deserves a choice if she wants it?"

Neji's lips drew together into a hard line. "It is not for you to voice your thoughts on that, Tenten."

"If I'm not going to do it, then who is?" she demanded, her voice rising a little. "Look, it's just stupid to make Hinata marry you if she doesn't want to! Even you should be able to tell that she's head-over-heels for my best friend!"

"Lower your voice," Neji said passively.

"Neji, you and I both know that Hinata doesn't want you to be her husband," Tenten said softly.

Neji's white eyes flashed with something akin to anger. "You do not believe I would be capable of being a suitable husband for her?"

Tenten's brown eyes widened a little. "No, that's not it! It's just that the two of you are getting married for all the wrong reasons. You're a good person, so I'm sure that some lucky girl would want to marry you someday." She shut her mouth quickly. She'd said more than she'd intended to.

Neji raised one of his eyebrows, a corner of his mouth twitching. "Tell me, then…what kind of woman do you think would wish to wed a man like me?"

Tenten opened her mouth without really knowing what she was going to say.

What came out was, "Maybe somebody like me."

For a moment, her unexpected (by both of them) reply sat on the air, Tenten wondering where in the world her head had gone.

"For a person that has never courted in their life, you do seem to know a lot about relationships," Neji finally said.

Tenten flushed. "I d-don't…but, I know right from wrong. Most of the time."

"Fair enough," Neji said. He smiled a little at her. "I wonder how stable your mind is if you think you could marry me. Perhaps I should be the one that is afraid for your mental state."

Tenten laughed, the awkwardness gone. "Yeah. Maybe."

O0O

"So, you're going to talk to him, right?"

Hinata stared at Tenten with a deer-in-the-headlights expression in her white eyes.

"I c-could try, but Tenten, I r-really don't think that it would w-work…"

"If that's what you think will happen, that's what _will_ happen," Tenten said in a firm, life-coach sort of voice. "You've got to think that you're going to succeed! We're talking about your own father here! He must want what's best for his daughter, right?"

Hinata bit her lower lip and chewed on it, curling a strand of ebony black hair around her index finger. "I don't know about t-this…"

"Hinata, listen to me, okay? You really should have a say about who you want to marry, and you definitely choose who you love. If you don't want to be permanently bonded to your own cousin in sickness and in health, well…you've got to speak up sooner or later."

"What she said," Sakura called from the top bunk, her earpieces plugged in.

Hinata smiled. "A-Alright then. A-Arigato."

"Awesome," Tenten smiled back at her.

"…hate to break up the party, but where's Ino?" Sakura asked.

O0O

"Ino?"

"Hey," the blonde smiled timidly in a manner very unlike herself at a surprised looking Shikamaru. She wrung the little yellow roses that she was holding in her entwined hands, rocking back on her heels outside on his doorstep.

"These are for you." She thrust the flowers at him before she could have time to chicken out. The boy took them with an expression that clearly stated he thought he was hallucinating.

"What are you doing here?" he drawled, (it might have sounded mean, but Ino knew that he didn't mean it that way).

"Well…we never did officially stop fighting, did we?" she said nervously.

Shikamaru tugged on his ponytail, and then turned to go into the house, gesturing with his hand that Ino should follow him.

They ended up in his bedroom, where there was a shogi board set up in the middle of the room. Apparently, the genius of strategy had been playing against himself again when Ino arrived. The blonde smiled, and sat cross-legged on the ground in the place where a player should sit. Shika sat on the opposite side.

"Temari's gone," Shika said once they both realized that Ino had no idea how to start for once.

"…_Gone_?! Whaddya mean, _gone_? She can't be _gone_!" Ino exploded. After how hard she had worked to swallow her pride and apologize, after all the guilt and regret she had gone through…Temari wasn't there to accept her apology? Oh, for God's sake.

Shikamaru smiled wryly. "We were back together for a little while, but in the end, we went our separate ways."

"But…b-but, why?" Ino stammered. "I thought you loved her. You guys were the perfect couple."

Shikamaru raised both his eyebrows. "This coming from you?"

Ino shrugged.

Shika sighed. "Like I always knew, women are too troublesome. I said something that ticked her off, apparently…next thing you knew, she was walking out. Life happens. Mendokusai."

Ino let out a long breath of air. At last, she extended her palm to Shikamaru over the shogi board.

"Truce?"

Shikamaru grinned and clasped her hand in a firm shake. "Friends, Ino. It's not going to change."

O0O

Tenten walked into the curry shop with a strange sense of being safe in her chest.

She shouldn't have felt secure entering the restaurant where one of her former friends who was now together with a guy who had cornered her in a dark alley was working as a hostess. She shouldn't have been wasting her summer money buying takeout curry all the time, (going to the grocery and cooking store-bought food was really much, much cheaper).

But despite all that, she felt safe.

Karin's glasses were the same classic black frames, and she seemed pretty sober besides the fact that her flaming red hair was a tad tussled, (nothing significant; Tenten's was more than a little unkempt at the time). She glanced up at Tenten without the slightest hint of surprise.

"Hey. 'Sup," she said in a lazy drawl that would have rivaled Shikamaru's. It was a drastic contrast to Karin's usual fiery voice.

"Hi," Tenten said quietly.

"Just four of the usual, I'm guessing?" Karin said in a tone that betrayed how exhausted she must have been.

"Yeah."

Ten minutes later, the boxes were inside a bag and dangling from Tenten's fingers. Karin pushed her mane of red hair back from her face and pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, staring at Tenten. "Listen…did Suigetsu do something to you?" she asked quietly.

Tenten felt her spine stiffen. "No," she said.

Karin smiled a tired sort of smile. "You don't have to lie to me."

"It's the truth."

Whether she read it in Tenten's eyes, or because she really didn't have the energy to actually question her further, Karin nodded hesitantly. "Alright."

When Tenten left the shop, she was filled with a profound and strange new pity for Karin, and she couldn't quite name the reason why it hit her so strongly.

Perhaps the redhead was not so different from her after all.

O0O

The greeting back at the dorm was a bit of a surprise for Tenten.

The first thing that happened once she got through the door was that Ino sprung on her, squealing and screaming unintelligible words. She had a bath towel wrapped around her head, complete with a matching bathrobe and fuzzy slippers.

"Easy, easy!" Tenten shouted. "I've got curry on me and I'm not afraid to use it!"

After Sakura had finally dragged the overexcited Ino away, the pink-haired girl grinned at Tenten.

"We're going to a masquerade ball." 

--

**A/N: Teehee, the next chapter should be interesting!! Stick around, please, and review…**


	25. Changing Fate

A/N: Wow

**A/N: Wow. I took forever. Like. An eternity O.o **

**Pause. **

**I should probably beg for your mercy now xD I really am sorry. Writer's block coupled with a one-week vacation and other such things prevented me from typing up this chapter and updating. **

…**forgiveness? Possibly? –holds up cookies-**

**--**

**Day 25**

**--**

"So…"

Sakura looked up from the sewing machine that she was hovering over and stopped trying to forcefully yank a piece of fabric out of the bobbin. Tenten was looking at her with the strangest expression on her face.

"What?" Sakura shrugged, going back to the bobbin.

Tenten sighed and reached over, easily twisting the fabric out of the jam. Sakura made a little huffing sound, and then went back to sewing. A fabric mask was forming under her fingers. The needle went _click click click_ and Tenten watched it going up and down and up and down.

"Are you just going alone to the ball?" Tenten questioned.

Sakura looked up with a wary look. "That's the plan…why?"

Tenten shook her head with a small smile. "Nothing. It's just that you do seem like the kind of girl who would willingly go alone to a party…"

"But?" Sakura said in a quiet voice that suggested deadliness behind its calmness.

"I thought of the Uchiha," Tenten said, her brown eyes meeting Sakura's green without a trace of fear. Sakura's thin lips formed into a thinner line.

"No."

The room went curiously quiet. After a moment, Tenten stood up with a sigh, stretching her arms into the air. She walked over to the door and turned the knob, closing it softly behind her.

Sakura loosened up on the pedal a little, staring at the careful, tiny little stitched beads on her mask.

O0O

Tenten didn't think the fact that the Hyuugas were holding a masked ball right after she suggested Hinata find a way to talk to her father was a coincidence. After all, they hardly seemed like the sort of family who would usually hold a _party_. I mean, come on. Nevertheless, Tenten was going to attend and help Hinata in whatever way possible.

She was heading towards the park, where she had been planning to meet Neji for their "therapy", (Tenten was getting rather tired of his room, even with the newly let in sunshine). Maybe he could offer her an explanation. Or maybe he would just give her one of his cynical little pronouncements about fate. Hm.

Anyways, it was worth a shot.

He was sitting on the green bench with the slightly peeling paint closest to the half pipe where Naruto and his posse liked to hang. He sat cross-legged, his white eyes focused on what appeared to be a medical textbook in his lap. A few kids that passed giggled at him, but their parents shooed them away. Tenten smiled. Typical Neji.

She sat next to him on the bench, careful not to disturb him, although by the way that his muscles tensed and relaxed in the back, she knew that she had disturbed him anyways. Nevertheless, he kept on reading. Tenten peered over at the tiny text, unable to comprehend most of the kanji and their meanings. She shook her head.

Neji looked sideways at her slightly. "My reading bothers you?"

"Psh, _nooooo_…" Tenten said.

Neji's lips twitched. "Can you understand it?"

"Maaayyybe."

He closed the book with a snap and laid it carefully on the bench. Tenten opened her mouth to ask about the ball, but Neji got there first.

"I assume that you're confused about the upcoming event in the Compound."

"How do you _do_ that?!"

"What do I do?"

"Read peoples' minds."

"It was obvious what you were going to ask me, Tenten."

"Oh, shut up. Is the ball some mad ploy for Hinata to get Hiashi not to marry her off?"

Neji's white eyes widened slightly. Tenten, in her haste, had almost forgotten that Neji was totally fine with the whole I-Am-Marrying-My-First-Cousin-In-An-Arranged-Marriage thing. Hell, he was even ALL FOR IT. His eyes narrowed.

"Tenten, did you put her up to this?"

"Neji, she has to do this! You both have to do this! I am not letting you sacrifice your chance for love because the honor of the clan or whatever else that may be coming this way depends on it. It's not _fair_."

"Tenten…" Neji's eyes softened a little. "Life isn't fair."

"Well, then I'm going to fix it to be fair!" Tenten yelled. "LISTEN TO SENSE, Neji!"

"I already found my sense a long time ago," Neji said softly. "This is my fate. I will either accept it or oppose it, but it will be easier if I relent. Nothing you do will change it."

Tenten slumped back against the back of the park chair and put her head in her hands. "Neji? You are a complete arse."

"…arse?"

"Yes. An arse."

There was a pause, and then Tenten had Neji give the deepest possible sigh that humans could sustain in their lungs. There was a rustle of fabric as he shifted a little. "Tenten. Look at me."

"You don't deserve to be looked at."

He sighed again, though not as lung-blowingly this time. Tenten smiled through her fingers. The next thing she knew, Neji's hands were gently prying her fingers away from her face. She struggled, but of course he won.

She was just going to put her hands back up because she was seriously not in the mood to deal with him right now and she was giving up on him and all of his creepiness and fate stunk and she was just tired of life not being fair. Seriously.

But Neji was smarter than that. He knew her. He kept her hands firmly folded inside of his.

"Now that you are going to be mature, please listen to me," he said stiffly.

It was Tenten's turn to try sighing. She found that she couldn't take in nearly as much air as Neji had. She tried to move her hands. Neji's grip tightened until she felt a crack. She winced.

"Um. You can let go now. I promise I'm not going to do anything that'll annoy you. Much."

Neji smiled slightly and loosened his grip. Tenten pulled her hands back and this time circled _his_ hands. "Haha," she stuck out her tongue. Neji seemed close to rolling his eyes.

"Hm." She turned his hands a little so that the backs were facing up. His fingertips and palm were callused and rough, and the skin on the back of his hand was dry. The skin still had that scaly texture. She ran her thumbs over his knuckles. All the bones stuck out.

"You work too hard," she said.

Neji remained quiet, but he did close his eyes.

"You _try_ too hard. The world doesn't rest on your shoulders, Neji-kun."

His eyes opened. "That is true, but my duty to uphold the honor of the Hyuuga clan does."

Tenten bit her lip and squeezed his hands. "Do what you want then. I guess I don't have the power to make you do something you don't want to do."

She stood up. Neji stood too, much more gracefully than she had. Out in the open, Tenten realized that he seemed to tower above her. She resisted the urge to stand on the tips of her toes to avoid feeling less dwarfed. She still had a little dignity left to preserve.

"Will you still come to the…ball?" Neji said, seeming to struggle over what to call it.

"Yes. For Hinata's sake. And yours."

"Mine?"

"Yes, yours. Who else is going to dance with you if I don't come?"

He smiled slightly. "Tenten."

"Ja ne," she waved over her shoulder, grinning as she left.

O0O

Tenten was really not a _dress_ person. Seriously, that was really more Ino's department. Tenten did not like trying on multiple outfits in department stores. She did not enjoy shopping for new clothes. She did not particularly care for dressing up or anything. Really.

"Ino, I really,_ really_ don't like this one." The Weapons Mistress twirled around in a huge, pink monstrosity of a ball gown, eyeing her reflection in the mirror with an expression akin to horror. The back was open all the way to the waist. Tenten did not like open backs. At all.

Ino pouted. "But it was so perfect! I was sure you would like this one."

"You take it. I think it would be alright on you," Tenten muttered, stepping out of the nightmare dress. She slid on her own T-shirt and jeans, ambling out of the dressing room to search for something that she would actually be caught dead in.

Sakura was sitting on the edge of a table with folded up tank tops on it. She was looking at the department store dresses like they were dog poo. The day before, the pink-haired girl had escaped to the thrift shop to buy something, and set to attacking it with a sewing machine. Armed with various beads and bits of yarn, she had transformed it into something very Sakura-like and hidden it away under her bunk in the dorm. Nobody had been allowed to see it. Her mask had met the same fate.

Hinata had taken an afternoon to go back to the Hyuuga Compound and rifle through her closet to see if she had anything suitable for the ball before Tenten had a chance to question her about the event. Sakura acted like she knew something about what Hinata was planning, but refused to let on when Tenten asked.

In any case, the Hyuuga heiress had come back with a bulging black plastic bag. She hadn't let anybody see her dress or mask either, choosing to place it carefully inside of her trunk.

That left Ino and Tenten to their own methods of acquiring something to wear. Ino, of course, already had dozens of suitable gowns for the occasion, but insisted that she had to have a new one in order to enjoy herself. Tenten did not have anything remotely dress like in her wardrobe. Or skirt like, for that matter.

Ino tried on the pink monstrosity, and fell in love. Of course.

Tenten grudgingly admitted that the dress actually suited the blonde when she came in to see what it looked like. Ino was somewhat taller than Tenten, so the back wasn't as low on her. The pink accentuated her eyes and white-blonde hair. Ino winked at herself in the mirror and started blowing kisses. Tenten rolled her eyes and got back out of there before it got too horrendous.

She moved to the shelves with blue and green dresses, rifling through in a hurry. Everything was slinky and short. God, Tenten would go to the ball in jeans before she wore something like that.

The Weapons Mistress was about to give up, when she saw it.

_The _dress.

She ran her fingers over the fabric in wonder. It didn't seem like it belonged in the department store. More like…in a fairy tale.

Tenten did believe the dress had found her. It was going home with her as a reward.

O0O

The girls had come to an agreement.

Since Sakura was guarding her dress design like a fire-breathing dragon, Hinata was hiding her entire outfit in her trunk, and Tenten had also refused to reveal her dress to the others, it was going to be a little difficult getting ready in the same dorm.

Therefore, Ino was going back to her parent's house, Hinata was going back to the Compound, and Tenten was going to Naruto's house beforehand to get ready. Sakura had claimed the dorm for herself. They would all be arriving at the party separately and seeing if they could find each other even with masks on.

Tenten gathered up her giant trash bag containing her dress, a mask that she had bought to go with it, and her only pair of black pumps that her mother had bought for her, (needless to say, they had rotted in their shoe box up until this point). Naruto's house wasn't exactly within walking distance, so a bike.

Naruto's dad answered the door, his bright yellow hair exactly the same shade as his son's. They were the spitting image of each other, besides the fact that Naruto's dad's hair was a little longer. Tenten knew him only as Uzumaki-san, although she had once heard Naruto call him Yondaime.

"Come on in," he smiled at her. "I think that Naruto is struggling to fit into a tux."

Tenten had invited Naruto as her guest. Seeing as she was pretty sure Lee would turn the place upside down, the blonde had been her only other choice. She smiled at his dad, and ran upstairs.

She peered into Naruto's room, which was seemingly covered in disposable ramen bowls and dirty T-shirts. Sighing, she closed the door behind her and quickly changed out of her street clothes and into the dress and pumps. Carefully, she let her hair down, combing it out with her fingers. The mask came down over her face in a perfect fit. Tenten no longer felt like herself.

The came a bang on the door and she flinched. "Oi, Tenten-chan! Lemme in! I need my bow tie," Naruto yelled.

Tenten laughed and opened the door. Naruto was in the classic white button-up shirt, black jacket and pants, plus some dress shoes that were too big for him, (most likely his dad's). Somebody had even stuck a rose in his buttonhole, (probably his mom). He stared at Tenten. "Uh, you _are_ Tenten, aren't you?"

The Weapons Mistress giggled in a manner very unlike herself. "Stupid, just get your bow tie. I think we're running late."

Naruto shook his head and grabbed the bow tie off of his dresser. He held it out to Tenten. "Hey, could you help me fasten it?"

She did, rolling her eyes. "It's just a hook clasp." Naruto scowled.

"But I can't see it when I'm hooking it!"

Tenten sighed, and dragged him out of his room. "Look sharp, Hinata's going to be there."

Naruto laughed nervously. "I know." He rapidly tried to flatten his blonde hair when he thought Tenten wasn't looking. "My dad'll give us a ride. I think. OI, DAD!"

Ten minutes later, Tenten and Naruto were exiting the car door. Naruto happily waved goodbye to Uzumaki Senior, while Tenten looked nervously at the Hyuuga Compound. There were no disco lights or streamers or balloons or anything, although she thought she heard a faint stirring of classical violin music.

"Put on your mask, Naruto," she reminded him before they got to the main gates. He sighed and slipped on the classic Zorro-style mask.

"I hate this thing," he muttered as Tenten approached the doorman.

"Um, Tenten. And guest."

The white-eyed man standing there eyed her and Naruto, and nodded. He moved to the next couple in line. Naruto smiled and offered her his arm. She rolled her eyes and took it. Tenten took a deep, calming breath.

They made their entrance through the gate.

O0O

**A/N: Sorry, guys, this is where the chapter ends…You'll have to see what happens next in chapter 26!!**


	26. Dances

A/N: Heh heh, a cliffhanger probably was NOT the best way to gain forgiveness from my readers, now that I think of it

**A/N: Heh heh, a cliffhanger probably was NOT the best way to gain forgiveness from my readers, now that I think of it…-hurriedly runs to bake more cookies- Wow, if I keep going on this track, all of us are going to be very obese by the end of this fan fiction. **

**Here you go, without further ado!**

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**Day 26**

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The main courtyard of the Compound was filled to the brim with people. About a fourth of them sported the familiar opal eyes and dark hair of the Hyuuga clan, but the rest were obviously guests. A string quartet was visible on a raised platform. They were still setting up, so nobody was dancing yet.

Tenten stroked the long, silky fabric of her forest green dress. The bottom swirled down in long folds of shining fabric, and the bodice was sleeveless with a corset style lace-up front. The inside layer was ivory colored, with tiny white sparkles covering the skirt. Her mask was the same forest green to match, covered with deep green feathers around the eyeholes.

So far, there was nobody discernable as anybody she knew. Sakura would be a dead giveaway because of her hair, and Ino was too tall not to be spotted easily. Hinata should have been there already, but she would blend easily with the crowd of her similar-looking relatives.

Naruto coughed and let go of Tenten's arm. "Um, Tenten-chan…I'm going to go find Hinata." Tenten grinned at him under her mask in a very un-ladylike manner.

"She's very pretty, Naruto. No need to feel embarrassed."

Needless to say, the blonde immediately flushed red all the way up to his hairline. "Shut up, I'm not embarrassed," he muttered, slipping away into the crowd. Tenten turned to walk in the opposite direction, looking for somebody to hang out with until the music started.

It was strange to be walking among dozens of strangely dressed people, all with their faces hidden behind some sort of mask. She had come across a few with especially extravagant ones. A few of the younger kids were wearing clown masks with their button-up shirts.

Tenten drew in a breath. There was Neji. She was sure of it.

His back was towards her, and he was talking to some other Hyuuga, so she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around…it wasn't Neji. God, all of those Hyuugas looked the same from the back. Tenten quickly muttered an apology and made her escape.

She ended up wandering into a slightly smaller, adjoined courtyard where a few couples were walking. Sighing, she sat down on the stone edge of a circular gardening plot, trying to avoid dirt stains on her dress. The mask was starting to itch a little. Carefully, she pulled it over her head and laid it in her lap.

Somebody sat down next to her. She didn't think anything of it until he said her name.

Tenten jerked up in surprise. "Neji, don't do that to me!"

His face was covered by the same sort of black mask that Naruto had been wearing. He wasn't wearing a jacket with his white shirt and black pants, although it did suit him. He stared at Tenten in her dress and let-down hair for a full minute before replying.

"I apologize."

Tenten sighed. "How'd you find me? I was looking for you."

"You are easy to find. At first I looked for the girl with buns and wearing a pair of jeans, but when it became evident that she was nowhere to be found…"

"Haha, Neji."

"…I searched this courtyard for somebody sitting alone and bored."

She glared at him. "Gee, thanks a lot. You have got to learn how to talk to girls better. Seriously. You're never going to get a date."

Neji stared at her for a moment with his white eyes, startling behind the black mask, and then he stood. In an unexpected move, he held out his hand to her. She gaped at him, until he smiled slightly. "You are supposed to take it, I believe."

Tenten put her hand in his and stood. She put on her mask again. Now she didn't feel like they were Tenten and Neji. They were merely two masked dancers in a crowd of more masked dancers.

Dancing with Neji was a bit like dancing with a statue. His shoulders were all stiff and he didn't seem to bend his knees at all when he walked onto the dance floor. She put her arms around his neck and he hesitated a moment before putting his hands on her waist. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"I don't bite. As long as you keep your hands where they're supposed to go, anyways." She knew that there was no need for the warning. Neji wasn't the kind of guy who tried anything. Tenten was quite positive that he was born without hormones.

The string quartet had struck up a song, and the two of them danced to the music, if you could call what Neji did "dancing". They were just one pair among what seemed like millions crowding the courtyard. Most of them were hugging each other very, _very_ closely. Neji didn't seem to notice, and Tenten chose to ignore it. They kept a good half-foot of space between them.

The dance ended, and again, Neji held out his hand and Tenten took it. They walked off of the dance floor.

"Hm, Neji-kun?"

"Hn."

"I think I'm going to leave you alone for a while. I have to go and find Sakura and the rest. Do you mind?"

"No."

Tenten smiled. "Besides, this will be a good way to see if any other girl would dare ask you to dance."

Neji's lips twitched slightly. "I doubt it. We shall see."

O0O

Sakura was dressed like an angel of death. Seriously.

Her dress was black, of course. It went to her knees, the top hugging her body and the bottom loose. She had sewn silver beads onto the back in the shape of tiny wings. Her mask matched: plain black, but with long, pointy edges. She had worn her black Converse that laced up all the way to the thighs. She had perched a tiny little top hat onto her pink hair.

The pink-haired girl wandered into the courtyard wondering what guy would dare to ask her to dance. She smiled at the idea. Well, she didn't mind dancing alone, even to a waltz. She pretty much preferred it, really.

She wandered over to the snack table, reaching out a pale hand to grab a couple of pretzels. A Hyuuga that was standing by the table stared at her black fingernails and then at the rest of her. Sakura smiled sweetly at him.

Sakura just stood there munching on the pretzels when she felt a chill go down her back. She got that sixth sense that there was somebody watching her. She tried walking a few steps away from the table, and then dashed behind an arrangement of trees that made a small forest to hide in. There was nobody behind her.

Puzzled, she was about to come back out from behind the foliage when somebody leaned over and whispered into her ear from behind her.

"Hello, little cherry blossom. Enjoying yourself?"

She whirled around so fast that she nearly twisted her neck. "_You_?!"

Uchiha Sasuke smirked at her. His mask was black, but it looked a bit like the one from Phantom of the Opera: it covered half of his face completely. The shirt inside of his jacket was black. Everything he was wearing was black, except for the white rose in his buttonhole.

"Who gave you that?" Sakura asked, noticing the flower. She had better things to ask him, but hey.

Sasuke's smirk grew wider. "Jealous?"

"In your dreams. What the hell are you doing here? You're not invited."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm your guest, aren't I?" He studied her outfit. "You can be the angel of death, and I will be your escort. How fitting."

Sakura snorted. "Right."

Sasuke reached out a hand and brushed back a strand of loose pink hair, "Nice top hat." Sakura shivered a little when his fingers brushed against her neck, but there was no way she was going to admit it. From his smirk, she knew that he had felt it.

"Just…leave me alone, okay?"

"Ah, but that would be impossible. You're too…" he trailed off. His lips twisted into a feral sort of grin. "I'm accustomed to getting what I want, Sakura…" He took a step closer and suddenly took her into his arms. Sakura made a little noise of surprise against his chest.

"Hey! Let go of me!" she protested. "I'm going to get you for this—" Her eyes widened as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her jawbone, his onyx colored hair brushing against her cheek. Sakura sighed, every muscle in her body relaxing. Sasuke smirked against her skin.

"I win."

The pink-haired girl scowled. "You cheated."

"Oh? I wasn't aware that there were rules." He gently kissed her neck.

"Stop it," she breathed. "I'm serious."

"But I can't. You're addicting," he murmured, tracing her jawbone with his nose. Sakura was seriously considering head butting him at the same time that she was secretly enjoying the moment.

There was a moment of silence, and then she pressed her face into the silky fabric of his shirt. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Hn."

"You make me feel scared…more scared than anything else. But at the same time, I feel completely safe with you. How's that possible?" He smelled like dirt and pine trees and metal and the rose in his buttonhole and just a little bit like _herself_.

He breathed out against her neck. "I don't know."

Sakura smiled a little and pulled back from his embrace. "Sasuke-kun…would you care to dance?"

O0O

Hinata was desperately trying to find Hiashi.

He was usually easy enough to find, he seemed to tail her everywhere. His white eyes seemed to watch her every move. Usually, Hinata despised it, (and there wasn't much that the heiress could bring herself to despise), but right now she would have welcomed it.

She didn't know if she could do this. She had never defied her father's will before. But she had to. Or she would regret it for the rest of her life.

Hinata walked through the crowd not really seeing where she was going, until she bumped into somebody. "Hey, watch where you're going!" said a familiar voice.

"Ino-san?"

The blonde widened her eyes behind a white mask. "Hinata? Wow, I didn't think I'd find you so fast! You look good!" Ino sounded impressed. Hinata's dress was pale ice blue with white flowers on it. She had on gold ballet flats and a plain mask to match. There were blue ribbons tied around her wrists and ankles.

"A-Arigato!"

"So where are you going?"

"…have you seen my f-father anywhere? I can't s-seem to f-find him…"

Ino's face took on a serious expression. "Oh, are you going to talk to him about…?" Hinata gave a weak nod, biting her lower lip nervously and twiddling her fingers together like she usually did when she was uncertain. Ino smiled reassuringly at her, giving a thoughtful tug on her long, blonde ponytail.

"Then I'm going with you," she said firmly.

Hinata's white eyes widened. "You would? B-But, you don't have to…Ino-san, you should g-go and enjoy yourself. S-Shouldn't you be d-dancing with your date?"

Ino laughed. "What date? I brought Shikamaru, but he doesn't dance and we're not exactly here on a boy-girl sort of basis. I'll come with you. You look like you could use the help."

Hinata's face betrayed how grateful she was to Ino. "Domo A-Arigato, Ino-san!"

Ino waved off the thanks. "Just doing my duty. C'mon, let's go."

The two girls set off through the crowd. Ino smoothed down her dress a little and checked her make-up in a compact mirror. "So…_was_ this whole ball a set up so that you could talk to your dad?"

Hinata reddened slightly. "W-Well, I suggested to the elders that w-we hold a celebration f-for one of m-my cousin's coming of age…but it e-evolved into a…well…" She gestured to the crowded courtyard. "I thought it w-would provide an opportunity to s-speak to my father, because he is usually s-surrounded by other Hyuugas. T-Tonight, everybody should be away enjoying th-themselves."

Ino nodded in understanding. "Ah. Are you scared?"

Hinata bit her lip again. "Yes…but I h-have to do this." She looked around over the heads of all the people. "Sakura-san knew that I w-was planning to talk to my f-father tonight…she was g-going to help me, but I haven't seen her anywhere."

Ino laughed. "I wouldn't worry about her. She probably found the snacks. I'll take her place."

Hinata smiled slightly.

Just then, Naruto made his appearance and ran over. "Hinata, would you like to…er…"

Ino stared at the blonde in surprise. "Wow. Hi."

Naruto ignored her. "Like to….to…"

"Just spit it out, boy," Ino barked.

"Dance with me?" Naruto suggested meekly. Hinata turned beet red all the way to her hairline.

"Erm…"

"Go!" Ino whispered, giving her friend a little push on the back. "Hiashi can wait. He's not going anywhere."

Hinata bashfully accepted Naruto's offered hand, and they disappeared into the horde of dancing people. Ino sighed. "Ah, young love," she said happily.

O0O

"Tenten?" Sakura said uncertainly.

"Sakura," Tenten said with _absolute_ certainty once she saw what the girl was wearing.

"Nice dress," the pinkhead said appreciatively.

"…Is that the Uchiha?" Tenten whispered to her friend. Sakura giggled.

"Obviously."

Tenten grinned. "I knew it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So where's Neji?"

They were standing at the edge of the dance floor near the snacks, so Tenten looked around. "Don't see him." She shrugged. "I'll find him later."

"No, you'll find him now…isn't that him?" Sakura pointed to a guy that was dancing with a girl in the dance floor.

Tenten stared. The guy did look suspiciously like Neji. But it couldn't be. Nobody asked Neji to dance. Nobody. It was utterly impossible.

He wasn't only dancing. He was _smiling_. But just a little. The little smile that he had only ever given Tenten.

Sakura, seeing Tenten's expression, took a little step away. "Um. Try not to shed blood," she called as the brunette marched towards Neji and The-Unworthy-Girl-Who-Got-To-Be-Smiled-At.

This was going to be a long night.

--

**A/N: BWAHAHAHA ANOTHER CLIFFIE!!**


	27. Tears

A/N: What you've all been waiting for

**A/N: What you've all been waiting for…hopefully. I'm sorry for the wait. Again. I am SO going to run out of cookie batter stuff soon.**

**And I passed 400 reviews! OMG! Thank you! –bows rapidly- Arigato gozaimasu, arigato gozaimasu…-gets hit over the head with a frying pan- **

**G'night…-dies-**

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**Day 27**

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Tenten could never remember being so angry in her entire life.

Well, alright, so she had been once or twice with her mother when Aki had turned off the TV in the middle of an important program or whatever. And maybe Ino had bugged her more when she first moved into the dorm.

But the Weapons Mistress could feel herself getting worked up over what her brain was insistently trying to convince her was nothing. Really, Neji was a free man; he could do whatever he liked with his love life, (nonexistent as it was). Tenten really did not give a…well, maybe she did care a little, considering that she was ready to murder Neji's dancing partner.

The brown-haired girl strode confidently towards the whirling couple, ramming into several other angry pairs of dancers. Neji saw her a split second before Tenten was upon them.

"Hey, _Neji-kun_!" she said enthusiastically. "Mind if I cut in?"

Tenten snuck a peek at the girl and was dismayed to find her to be a sweet-looking person with wide, sincere eyes and a very pretty face. She looked a bit hurt at Tenten's less-than-tactful intrusion.

Neji raised his eyebrows at Tenten. He didn't bother to answer her question. "This is my childhood friend, Matsuri. Matsuri, this is my…psychologist, Tenten."

"Nice to meet you," Matsuri said politely, her eyes darting timidly back and forth between Neji and Tenten. "Um…excuse me…" She practically bowed her way off of the dance floor. Her timid nature strongly reminded Tenten of Hinata. The girl couldn't have been older than thirteen.

Tenten watched her leave, and had practically forgotten that she had asked Neji to dance until he gently turned her around and took her hand. His eyebrows were raised, and his lips were twitching at her in a highly amused manner. Tenten scowled at him from behind her mask.

"What, swallowed a canary, fat cat?" she snapped.

Neji grunted. "Hn."

Tenten sighed. "Fine, fine, I'm sorry. I was rude."

"No, on the contrary, you were highly amusing to watch. I am sure that you will like Matsuri once you get to know her." Neji gave her a very knowing smile that suggested more than he was saying. "Unless you are jealous of her, of course. Then, I wouldn't dream of forcing your friendship."

Tenten sputtered. "Jealous? _Me?_ In your dreams, Neji."

Neji just kept smiling till Tenten shoved him playfully in the shoulder. "Oh, come on, she's like two years younger than us. And we're teenagers…two years is like a century."

Neji shrugged. "I have known her for a very long time. Our parents were friends."

"So how come you never told me about her?"

"It never came up."

Typical Neji response. Tenten sighed. Her toes felt like they were about to fall off and the soles of her feet were most assuredly blistering. Dancing in fancy shoes was so not in her department. Her nose was beginning to sweat under the mask.

The dance ended, and Neji walked off the dance floor. Tenten followed him on instinct. The Hyuuga didn't seem to notice, but Sakura smirked and made a face at Tenten as they went towards the punch table together. When Tenten turned to get a cup of punch and then turned back around to see if Sakura was still there, she had vanished along with the Uchiha.

O0O

Meanwhile, Hinata had returned from her dance(s) with Naruto.

Her judgment wasn't at the best right then; the blonde had a tendency to make her stagger and become confused. Luckily, Ino had anticipated this, and grinning, dragged her raven-haired friend out of the line of dancing people that might have crushed her underfoot. Clearly the girl was on cloud nine.

"Hinata, you should drink something," Ino suggested, although Hinata didn't seemed to hear the suggestion. Rolling her eyes, the blue-eyed girl took her companion over to a bench and sat down.

"Are you sober enough to still talk with your dad?"

At this, Hinata instantly paled. "I…t-think so," she murmured.

"We could wait. It _is_ a ball tonight. You should enjoy yourself."

Hinata shook her head. "I would b-become too scared to try again if I w-waited."

Ino sighed. "Okay, well, since you insist…" She lifted her pointer finger straight ahead. "…there's the man in question." Sure enough, from where they were sitting, they were at the perfect angle to spot Hyuuga Hiashi standing behind a wooden pole that supported the roof. He was sticking close to the building as if he were seeking shade, although there was no sun to hide from.

A violent shudder went through Hinata's body, and for a moment, Ino panicked that her friend might have fainted before the heiress, just as quickly, recovered herself. Still shaking, she stood up with a resolute air and marched forwards. Ino made a move to follow her, but Hinata shook her head at her friend, her white eyes suddenly sure. "Thank you, Ino-san…but I think I need to f-face my father alone."

Ino hesitated, and then nodded, sitting abruptly back down on the bench. She trusted Hinata's judgment now.

Hinata had never felt so scared in her life, but at the same time, something deep inside of her urged her to keep walking forward. Although her knees buckled, she bit her lip and made it all the way to the pole where her father was standing. He had been staring out at the dancing partygoers. Hiashi made no movement to suggest that he knew his daughter had just come to stand beside him.

After an agonizing moment of silence, Hinata softly cleared her throat. "Otou-sama?"

Slowly, Hiashi turned around to face his eldest daughter. His white eyes were cold and unreadable. "Yes, Hinata?"

"I…wanted to speak to you," Hinata said slowly, carefully making sure that she didn't stutter on any word. Her eyes had been downcast, but she forced herself to look her father in the eyes. Seemingly as surprised as Hinata was at her sudden boldness, Hiashi nodded his head.

"It's about Neji-nii-san and I," Hinata murmured, so quietly as to be inaudible. "I've been thinking…about our marriage."

Hiashi's lips pressed into a thin line, but he made no move to interrupt.

"I…don't think that it's the best idea for me," Hinata said, in an even quieter voice. It was a miracle that Hiashi heard her.

"Best idea?" he repeated slowly, as if chewing the words. Thoughtfully, he clasped his hands behind his back and began to slowly pace. Hinata felt her fingers trembling and quickly clasped them together tightly in front of her. "Hinata, I know that this is what is best for both you and the clan. I have spent longer thinking on this matter than you ever have. You and Neji will marry, and that is the final say on the matter."

Hinata bit her lip, feeling her eyes start to ache. _I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry_.

"But, f-father…" she stammered. "I don't love Neji-nii-san, and he doesn't l-love me either. I only ever thought of him as a r-respected cousin."

"This marriage never was about love, Hinata."

"I…I know that, father. But-"

"But what? You must put your duty to the clan before your personal needs, Hinata." Hiashi's voice was hard.

"Father, I was never f-fit to take your place as head of the c-clan," Hinata said softly, raising her head again to stare at her father in the face. "You know that Hanabi or N-Neji-nii-san would both make a b-better leader. I have never been able to s-sacrifice enough or help this clan enough f-for you, and I will n-never be good enough. You know that, f-father, and yet—"

"Hinata."

Horrified, Hinata put her hands over her mouth, realizing what she had just said. To her disappointment, she realized that her face was wet. She hadn't been able to not cry after all.

"Hinata…is there somebody else that you prefer over your cousin?" Hiashi finally spoke.

Even through the tears, Hinata could feel the hot blush that immediately erupted into her cheeks and neck, because there was a face with two cerulean eyes and a mop of bright yellow hair smiling at her in her mind, and he was smiling for _her_, and it was just too impossible…but she felt the word on her lips and let it out. "Y-Yes, father. There is somebody that I prefer."

There was a long, awkward silence. Hinata heard her father let out a long sigh, not unlike Neji's lung-shattering sighs that Tenten could not compete with. "Aah, Hinata, but you are still young," he said. "Perhaps time will be the best cure for all of this."

Hinata blinked, hardly believing what she was hearing.

"Hinata, you are my daughter. I only want what is best for you," Hiashi said in a surprisingly tender voice. Hinata bowed her head. "So…if you are truly unhappy as things stand, then I will try my best to change them."

Her white eyes widening, Hinata felt every limb in her body shake. "You mean…?"

Hiashi nodded slowly. "I will reconsider your marriage to Neji."

Hinata felt a smile breaking across her face through the tears, and before she could stop herself, she ran forward and tightly embraced her father, something that she could never remember doing. After a few seconds, he tentatively hugged her back.

O0O

"Ino, what are you sitting here for?"

The blonde scowled. "Shikamaru, you kept me waiting for a loooonnnngg time."

Her friend sighed, handing her a plate with two onigiri on it. "Troublesome woman. What were you waiting for me for?" Ino shrugged.

"Nobody else has asked me to dance yet."

"…well, I'm not going to."

"I figured as much." Ino picked up one of the sticky rice balls and took a tiny little bite out of it to test it out, her entire face lighting up. "My God, Shika, this stuff is awesome!"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Really? I thought you didn't like finger food."

"I've made an exception," Ino declared. "I am serious, this onigiri is like the best food that I have ever tasted. In my life, Shika, in my LIFE!" The blonde went on to stuff the two rice balls into her mouth in one bite, swallowing them whole. She grinned cheekily at Shikamaru, who was looking faint.

"…you scare me," he said finally. "Have you had anything to drink?"

"Nope," Ino giggled. "And I'm high anyways. Seriously, somebody really needs to ask me to dance." Shikamaru glanced around their immediate surroundings for a guy that was unaccompanied by anybody in vain. Finally, he gave up the search and held out his hand to Ino with a melancholy sigh of defeat.

"Mendokusai," he muttered, dragging a positively beaming Ino into the middle of the dance floor. "You're going to have to pay me money for this later." Ino grinned.

"Fine by me."

O0O

Although the party was still in full swing, Sakura and Sasuke had wandered off outside of the Compound boundaries.

The moon was out, shining like a giant lantern in the middle of the sky, washing everything in a sort of gray-white hue. Even the grass seemed like it was tipped in silver. The two attracted quite a few stares from people who were walking their dogs at the late hour: after all, they were still in their masquerade clothes.

Despite the fact that the two were obviously dressed as a couple, it was clear from the careful two-foot distance that they kept between them while walking and the I-will-not-hold-your-hand attitude that they weren't _actually_ a couple. Sakura tipped her top hat to quite a few passerby, who returned her greeting with a weirded-out expression. Sasuke successfully hid his smirk when this happened.

At length, they reached a block of sidewalk where the only company they had were the little pools of light from lampposts. The street was utterly and completely deserted. Sakura paused on the edge of the sidewalk while Sasuke started to cross the street. "Which way should we go?" she asked. He paused and turned around to look at her.

"Where do you want to go?" he countered. Sakura shrugged.

"Whereever."

"Then it really doesn't matter which road we take," Sasuke smirked. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked out into the middle of the street with him without bothering to look left and right first. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"You cross without looking?"

"Wow, I'm such a daredevil," Sakura rolled her eyes again.

"Suicidal, more likely."

"Oh, you're such a sweetie, Sasuke-kun."

His smirk grew wider, his black eyes staring at her face. Without hesitation, he reached out and took her hand in his. Then, he turned, and continued walking down the street. It wasn't the usual oh-my-god-we're-holding-hands-now scenario: Sakura squeezed his fingers and followed him, and that was that. Neither was nervous, or blushing, or sweating profusely.

It was like it was a natural thing to do: Death and his angel, walking down the street hand in hand.

**A/N: Please review!! xD**


	28. Rainy Days

A/N: For once I have no excuse

**A/N: For once I have no excuse. Its summer and I have pretty much absolutely nothing to do, (except I watched the Olympics ceremony last night; pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself). **

**I was just lazy and neglected my writing.**

**-choke- I SAID IT! I ADMITED MY WRONG!**

**Now I shall write xD**

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**Day 28**

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Tenten opened her eyes to stare at the slats of the bunk above her head, feeling a sort of elation filling up her chest with glee. She woke up feeling like this on the odd night that she went to sleep with a cup of coffee clutched in her hands, or on the day before a big martial arts match.

She knew for a fact that this particular morning was neither. She was simply in a terrifically good mood. Hey, she'd gotten her dances with Neji and Ino hadn't made her do anything remotely embarrassing all night and she felt so happy that Hinata had finally learned to stand up for herself and better yet, _Hiashi was going to reconsider_.

The Weapons Mistress twirled her way over to the bathroom and nearly brushed her teeth with Ino's foot lotion. Her hair, for once, didn't have the usual random bumps in it from being up in buns all day. After a moment to stare at her straight hair, Tenten tied it back up in buns. There were tiny little black smudges under her eyes where she had forgotten to remove her mascara, (Ino had been too busy gushing after the dance to supervise).

There was a groan back in the bedroom, the sound of a couple of completely uncoordinated footsteps, and then Sakura's head poked in around the bathroom door. Unlike Tenten, her mascara had been properly removed.

"Morning," she yawned broadly. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Tenten said through the _real_ toothpaste that she was brushing with. Sakura grabbed her brush and began to violently tug it through her pink hair. Quite a few strands got ripped out.

Tenten raised her eyebrows and spat into the sink. "You got a vendetta against your hair?"

Sakura immediately stopped combing her hair and stared at her hand as if it had betrayed her. "Hm?"

Tenten sighed. "Never mind."

Sakura shook her head and started brushing again, this time much more gently. "Sorry. I'm a little out of it this morning. Stayed up pretty late, you know."

"I thought you were a night owl."

"I was up till dawn."

Tenten gaped at Sakura. "_Seriously_? Where did you go?"

A secret little smile stole across Sakura's face. "Wonderland."

Tenten decided that she probably didn't want to know.

O0O

"Tenten-chan, Hinata!" There was no way that you could possibly miss Naruto. He was wildly jumping up and down and waving his arms in the air while holding his skateboard. Tenten grinned and gave him a small wave back. Hinata's face turned beet red within seconds.

The park was ideal in the afternoon; sunlight was pouring all over the greenery and there was a light breeze. Desperate to get out and work off her high from last night, Tenten had dragged Hinata along with her, figuring they could get in some of that martial arts training that they had been neglecting.

"Hey, Naruto. Anybody else here?" Tenten asked as she and Hinata sat down on a bench.

Naruto shrugged. "Lee was, but he bailed. Said something about picking flowers while walking on his hands to build up his youthfulness." The blonde shook his head, clearly thinking his friend was psycho. "Well, Kiba stuck around. And Shino might be around someplace."

Tenten scowled at the mention of Kiba. It hadn't been easy letting Hinata and Naruto's relationship progress as it would; she wasn't in the mood to let Kiba mess with it. At least Shino might provide some entertainment or something. She wanted to see if he was still in his shades and high collar even in this perfect weather.

"Okay. You go ahead, Hinata and I are going to do some kung fu junk," Tenten said, standing up. Naruto grinned and jumped onto his board, rolling off into the halfpipe.

Hinata's red coloring receded somewhat once Naruto was out of the immediate vicinity. Tenten grinned at her friend. "Let's warm up and do some basic movements, and then you can go hang out with Naruto, okay?"

The raven-haired Hyuuga blushed faintly. "T-Thank you, Tenten."

O0O

At around seven in the evening, Tenten pulled on her Nikes and headed out to the Hyuuga Compound. She wasn't technically supposed to go, and she doubted that Neji was expecting her, but she was going anyways. Ino was out with Shikamaru, Hinata was having pizza with Naruto and the boys, and Sakura was downstairs on the internet. Tenten was feeling somewhat lonely.

The street outside wasn't quite dark yet, and the sky was golden blue with the setting sun. Everybody was tinted a strange sort of glimmering shade of silver. Tenten blended in with the crowd as she made her way across streets and down crowded sidewalks.

The sky darkened a few blocks away from the Hyuuga Compound. Dark clouds rolled in on top of the blue sky, and moments later, what seemed like bucket upon bucket of rainwater was being emptied on top of Tenten's head. She cursed and started to run, her sneakers filling up with water and trying not to slip on the ground.

Neji's windows were dark, although the shutters weren't drawn up. Tenten ran up to his door and violently knocked. "Neji!" she screamed against the sound of the gale, water filling up her mouth. "Open up! Hurry!"

The door didn't open.

She hammered harder. Her teeth had started chattering and a headache was growing between her eyes. The rain was icy cold, beating down on everything relentlessly in synchronization. "Neji!" she screamed again.

At last, the knob twisted and Neji pulled open the door. He stared at her, standing drenched on his doorstep, before standing aside to let her come in. Silently, he closed the door behind her. He shook his head when she made a move to walk further into his room. "Stay on the mat and wring out your clothes. Wait there."

Tenten sighed and shook her hair out, proceeding to wring the buckets of water out of the ends of her shirt. Neji returned a moment later, tossing her one of his shirts. "The bathroom is two doors down, across the hallway," he said flatly.

Tenten smiled at him, feeling rather bemused. She wouldn't have thought that Neji could be _considerate_.

The bathroom was tiled in white, along with a white marble sink and white shower curtain and white lights in a row above the mirror, like a hotel. It was extremely clean, if not exactly colorful. Tenten grabbed a (white) towel off of a rack and quickly toweled herself off, pulling off her sticky clothes and pulling on Neji's T-shirt. She sniffed the collar. It smelled like laundry detergent and tea and like Neji, that one time that she had hugged him.

Neji was sitting on the couch reading what seemed to be the paper when she came back in. She shivered. His room was almost as cold as it had been outside. She hadn't noticed when she first came in. Now that she was dry, it was worse.

Tenten sat down across from Neji like usual, curled up in a ball and continuing to shiver.

"So, what're you reading?" she asked, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Neji lowered the paper slightly to look over the top at her, his white eyes blank.

"Nothing of importance." He carefully folded the newspaper and placed it back on the table. Silence ensued.

Tenten coughed. "Thanks for the loan." She plucked a little at the shirt's hem. "That was…er…nice of you." Neji and "nice" didn't seem to fit comfortably into the same category. He seemed to read her mind. The corners of his lips twitched.

"Hn."

Neji reached up and touched a lock of Tenten's scraggly, still wet hair. "How long will it take to dry?" he asked flatly. Tenten shrugged.

"Dunno. A little over a half hour, maybe. Why?"

Neji's lips were a thin line. "You are not going outside until then."

"Why not?"

"You will become sick."

Tenten cooed. "Neji-kun, you really _are_ a big softie!" She would have reached over and pinched his cheek, but the expression on his face scared her too much. Instead she just giggled and sat with her hands in her lap. Neji sighed.

"Tenten. Stop."

"Fine, fine. Be a party pooper."

"Is there anything you need?" Neji ignored her, flatly stating his question.

"Well, your room is an icebox for one. But that's it," Tenten said in her best Mother voice. "Seriously, are you keeping a body in here or something? I'm surprised that you haven't frozen to death yet or anything." She paused. "But then again, you _are_ Neji. A giant dinosaur might land on you and you would just dust yourself off and walk away."

"You need to stop reading Superman, Tenten."

"_Spiderman_, Neji-kun. I read Spiderman."

"I see no difference between the two." Neji stood up and walked over to behind the sofa opposite Tenten, where a tiny one-person bed was sitting in the corner. Tenten realized that she had never really noticed the area behind Neji's appointed couch before. She only remembered the part of his room that was in _front_ of him. Odd.

Neji took an old plaid blanket off of the unmade bed, (Tenten had been expecting crisp sheets and perfectly folded blankets all stacked up, but life was full of surprises), and tossed it over to her. It landed on her head, smelling of mothballs. Tenten sneezed, quickly pulling it off and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Thanks. Much better," she laughed.

Neji came back over and sat down next to her again. She realized that he was notably closer; if she had wanted to, she could have touched his fingers. As of the moment, Neji was staring at his paper on the table, making no move to start a normal conversation. Tenten inwardly laughed. Neji was so doomed in the dating department. She drew an odd sort of comfort from the idea that very few people in the world ever had the patience to get to know Neji.

"You know, you can read the newspaper if you want," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. "It's not like I mind." It was true, she didn't. Neji was the one that wasn't letting her out of his house until her hair dried. She wasn't exactly obligated to talk to him. Or was she? Hm.

Neji shook his head slightly. "No."

Well, that was clear enough.

"Then…what do you want to do?" Tenten muttered, at a total loss as to how his mind worked.

Neji remained completely silent. Tenten sighed and took the time to study him. She noticed that he was wearing the exact same T-shirt that he had lent her to wear. "Hey, we match," she declared. Neji looked down at his shirt and then at Tenten, who was practically swimming in his clothes. A small smile made an appearance on his face.

"I must admit that you look better in the shirt," Tenten chuckled. The laugh turned into a shiver. The blanket was doing a pretty good job of keeping her warm, but she might have caught something after all. Life was so unfair.

"Neji, come here," Tenten commanded.

Neji raised his eyebrows. "Why, pray tell?"

"Because I'm _cold_!" Tenten whined. "I need blubber warmth!" Before he could object, she scooted forward a few inches, still bundled up in the blanket, and gently wrapped her arms around him. "Aaaahh…" she sighed. "You're really warm."

She felt a vibration through his chest as he responded with a "Hn". Her legs were crossed under her, so leaning over to hug Neji wasn't the most comfortable position she could ever have been in, but the warmth was worth it. After a few seconds, Neji tentatively wrapped his arms around her too.

"Better?" he asked in an uncertain sort of tone. It didn't fit well with his voice. Tenten almost giggled at the sound.

"Much," she said agreeably. She tried to get her legs out from under her again, and instead overbalanced, falling over the edge of the couch and taking Neji with her. They landed with an _oof_ on the floor, Tenten cushioned by her blanket and landing on Neji's stomach.

At the stunned expression on his face, Tenten immediately burst out laughing. "Are you okay?" she chortled.

"I am alright." He still seemed to be taking in the fact that he had actually lost his balance. It didn't seem to happen to him too often. Tenten tried to roll off of him, but she was wrapped up like a burrito in the blanket. They were wedged in between Neji's sofa and the chair.

"Neji-kun?"

"Hn."

"I think we're stuck," Tenten laughed again. The situation seemed rather ridiculous to her. "I mean, look at us. I can't move and you're pretty much pinned under me."

Neji sighed faintly. "We need outside assistance."

"I'll say."

Another pause.

"Hey, Neji?"

"Hn."

"Wouldn't it be bad if somebody came in and jumped to conclusions as to why I'm on top of you?"

All blood seemed to drain from Neji's face in the span of two seconds. Tenten raised her eyebrows at him. "I was just joking, you know. I doubt anybody you live with would think you would ever try anything with a girl."

Neji glared at her in silence.

Five more minutes passed. Tenten was getting pretty sick of staring at Neji's face from a two inch proximity and not saying anything at all while she watched all the blood rush to his head. "Well. I think this is reasonably awkward," she sighed.

Neji glared at her some more. "Talking will not help us."

"Yeah, well, we might as well chat while we wait for the rescue squad," Tenten insisted. "It could be a lllooooonnnnggg wait."

"You are not the one that has a hundred-pound burden on their stomach," Neji countered.

"Actually, a little more than a hundred," Tenten corrected. "And at least you get to rest your head on the floor. I'm getting a crick being stuck in this position."

Neji raised his eyebrows. "Why do you not just rest your head?"

Tenten snorted. "Well, obviously if I rested my head I'd practically be kissing you. I thought you would prefer if your first kiss were a little less strange."

"It would not be my first," Neji muttered.

Tenten choked. She would have done a spit take if there was any water in her mouth. "_Really_?" she gasped. Had _everybody_ kissed somebody besides her? Hell, maybe _Lee_ had even smooched a girl as things were going.

Neji was staring at her obstinately, his white eyes expressionless. "Is it so astonishing?"

"Well, yes," Tenten sputtered. "No offense, but you have about as much life in you as an ice box!"

The corners of Neji's lips twitched. "No offense taken," he said simply.

"Aren't you going to tell me who it was?" she asked when Neji made no move to talk anymore. "I'm sure there's an interesting story behind this one."

"Tenten…"

"No, seriously! I wanna hear what happened!" she insisted, trying not to pout like a toddler.

She could have sworn that Neji smirked. Really, hadn't that been the Uchiha guy's thing?!

"Why are you so interested in this story?" Neji asked in a seemingly uninterested voice. Tenten fell silent, her cheeks suddenly heating up. She stuck her tongue out at Neji and tried in vain to get out of the blanket and off of him.

"What's it to you?"

Neji shrugged, though the effect was odd when he could barely move. "If it is not so important to you, I would prefer not to tell you the story. That is all."

"Well, it doesn't matter to me," Tenten said with an attempt at airiness. "I was just surprised, is all." Silence ensued, with Neji just staring straight ahead, probably at the ceiling and counting sheep or something. Tenten sighed, cursing herself for deciding to come over to visit Neji on that particular night.

A few minutes passed, and then Neji managed to free his arm. He reached up through the few inches that separated his face and Tenten's and touched her cheek. A faint smile spread on his face. "Tenten, you are blushing."

Tenten immediately jerked away from his hand. "No, it's just that the blanket's making me heat up," she muttered.

Neji's smile grew slightly, and he pressed his fingers to her cheek again. This time, Tenten made no move to protest. "You are right," he agreed. "It must be the blanket."

--

**A/N: Heh heh, please review!**


	29. Sugar and Spice

**A/N: -wakes up from hibernation and blinks at mob of angry people with pitchforks- Um. **

**Needless to say, school started, and then there were mountains of homework and…and…it all went black after that.**

**If this chapter is off, it is because my mind is slowly deteriorating from waking up at six AM in the morning when I am CLEARLY not a morning person.**

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**Day 29**

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Ino giggled a little more loudly than necessary, and practically panting down Sakura's neck, bent over to whisper into her ear in a very girly, conspiratorial manner. "He's looking at you," she breathed.

Sakura fixed her eyes on the ceiling and refused to acknowledge that she had heard Ino. Of course he was looking at her; she had to be the only person with pink hair for miles around. There was no way that she could easily blend into a crowd. And after all, Uchiha Sasuke had perfect eyesight. She was doomed from the start.

The two girls were sitting a small, circular table in a secluded, family-run café a few blocks from the boarding home. Tenten had recommended it to them a few days prior, saying that there was going to be a party in honor of the owner's birthday and all were welcome, and they had chosen to go out while Tenten was over at Neji's. Hinata was currently up placing their order, squeezing through the crowd.

From the moment that Sakura had walked in and spotted the familiar shock of ebony hair, she had carefully been distracting Ino from the corner of the shop where he sat. Naruto and Kiba were sitting with him, their backs to the girls' table. Nevertheless, she had no doubt in her mind that he knew she was there. The smirk twisting the corner of his mouth while he drawled something out to Naruto was proof.

The cherry-head did _not_ want to talk to him at the moment. Doing so would make Ino squeal with joy, obviously. But Sakura was really not in the mood to put up with cynical Sasuke, the man-who-does-not-speak.

"Aren't you going to go over and say hi, at least?" Ino whined. "It's only polite."

Sakura snorted. Ino cared nothing for polite. At that moment, Hinata arrived with their steaming coffees in cups, and Sakura had an excuse to distract herself, singing her tongue on the burning liquid. The bass drum in the hip-hop song playing throbbed through the ground and pulsed through her feet. She was feeling a little bad about leaving Tenten out.

Ino tugged at her sleeve again. Sakura glared at the blonde. "Get off," she snapped in exasperation. Hinata giggled slightly at Ino's wounded expression.

At that moment, Tenten burst in through the front doors, multiple flyaway hairs sticking out in loops from her buns, her face flushed and what appeared to be lint stuck all over her clothes. There were mud splotches all over her legs, shoes, and pants from running through the wet. She ran over when she spotted the girls, all of them gaping a little at her haphazard appearance.

"God, what happened to you?" Sakura asked, glad for something to talk about besides Sasuke Uchiha.

Tenten grinned. "It's a pretty long story. It started with a hug and ended with Hiashi finding me on top of Neji and assuming the worst."

Ino blinked. "How the hell did you get out alive?"

"Well, Hiashi was ranting and raving and his face was all purple. I thought he was going to choke if he kept at it. But he at least got Neji and me unstuck—"

"Wait, you were _stuck_ on top of Neji?" Ino laughed. "For how long?"

"Like an hour. Anyways, Hiashi rolled me out of the blanket—"

"And you were in a blanket too? No wonder he assumed the worst," Ino laughed again. Her face paled. "Wait, he wasn't _right_, was he?" she gasped.

Tenten's faced turned faintly green. "Just for that, I will kill you with your own meat cleaver. Yes, woman, I know where it is."

Ino scowled. "Fine, fine."

"I told Hiashi what had happened and I don't think he believed me, but Neji told him the same thing and Neji _never_ lies, so Hiashi probably takes his word for it. So he let me escape after he questioned me on all of these random things: like who I lived with and what my parents did for a living, and what school I went to, and what sort of grades I got. He never bothered with that stuff in the beginning. Maybe Yumi put him up to it. I'll never know. But then he let me go with this really odd expression on his face. It was pretty weird."

Tenten finally sat down and grabbed the extra mug of coffee that the girls had ordered (just in case she turned up). She glanced around the room while Ino chattered about the possible implications of Hiashi's questionnaire to Sakura and Hinata. She blinked and made sure her eyes weren't fooling her.

"Um, is that Uchiha in the corner? With Naruto?"

There was a pause while Sakura gave Tenten a look that could have curdled milk and Ino and Hinata burst into amused laughter.

O0O

The party was over relatively early for what was supposed to be an all-nighter event. The streetlamps were already on, but the sky wasn't yet fully black. Ino and Tenten were now arguing about what qualified a guy as your boyfriend. Ino was saying that Neji definitely qualified as Tenten had already been on top of him. Tenten was bright red and insisting that, no, it did not matter, because neither of them liked the other in that one and besides, nothing had _happened_.

Hinata was sort of listening and half-sleeping as she walked next to the other two. She, as a natural morning person, was not used to staying up so late into the night. Her eyes were drooping as she nodded along whenever Tenten made a good point, trying not to drop dead on the spot from exhaustion.

Sakura hung back from the trio a little, strolling along with her hands jammed in the pockets of her black overalls. She was feeling pretty angry with the world at the moment, and for no particular reason. Pebbles skittered across the sidewalk as she kicked them out of her way, scuffing her shoes on the concrete.

"Hey." He put his hand on her shoulder, the long white fingers clenching a little tighter than necessary. She refused to look around and attempted to shrug him off, but he wasn't letting go. Bothersome. She ground her teeth.

"Let go."

He chuckled under his breath. "Why?"

"I'll scream."

The other white hand slid easily over her mouth. "Anything else?"

For answer she nailed her heel straight into his toe and ground into it as hard as she could, but he didn't so much as flinch. She growled in agitation and attempted to bite him. By then, Hinata had turned around and noticed that Sakura was being kept hostage by none other than Uchiha Sasuke. She stared with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.

Sasuke, noticing her as if for the first time, grinned, revealing sharp canines. He released Sakura easily and stuck his hands in his pockets as if nothing had occurred. Sakura spat and shot daggers at him with her glare. "Another time, perhaps," he murmured under his breath, the devilish grin widening.

"No, now would be fine. We'll just leave you two alone," Ino called from down the street. Tenten sighed and put her head in her hands. There was no reigning in that blonde.

Hinata looked unsure as she looked from Sasuke to Sakura. "Um. Don't be home too late, alright?" she said at last to the pink-haired girl, and then quickly escaping to Ino and Tenten.

"Traitors," Sakura muttered.

Sasuke gripped her hand and dragged her out of the lamplight and down a side alley where it was dark enough so that she could barely see the outline of his face and the silhouette of his jagged hair. She could feel the rough texture of a brick wall rubbing slightly against her left arm.

"I'm not in the mood to hang out with you," she said glumly, having exhausted her supply of venom for the night. The bad mood was fading now.

"Hn. Does it matter?" Sasuke said softly. He let go of her hand.

"Yes, it does," Sakura said fiercely. "You're not allowed to just randomly kidnap me and drag me down alleys!"

Sasuke shrugged. "It makes little difference whether or not I am allowed." He turned to stare at her like he was inspecting a piece of meat. She clenched her hands into fists.

"Bastard," she hissed.

He let out a dark laugh. "Hn. I don't deny it."

When she responded with a frosty silence, he caged her against the wall with his arms and stared down at the top of her pink hair. "Why so bitter?" he murmured.

She scowled. "Just leave me alone and go do whatever freaky things you do at night, okay?"

She stiffened when he made an abrupt movement and leaned down, pressing his lips gently to hers. It wasn't at all like he had used to kiss her before he had vanished, hard and brutal and terrifying. It was gentle and a little lonely. Strangely, it scared her all the way through.

Sakura tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged. Sasuke took the hint and pulled away, but remained close to her, so close that her eyes crossed a little trying to focus on his face. "Don't," she whispered. "Please, just don't."

His fingers stroked gently against her neck. "Why?" he breathed. His black eyes seemed to reflect all of the hardships and trials that he had endured over the past few years. They swam with sadness and grief. He blinked, and in a moment what she thought she had seen was gone again.

"I don't know," she replied in a small whisper, and despite her words, she pressed herself a little closer to him as a chilling wind blew through. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his nose into her hair.

"Hn."

O0O

Tenten had just had an epiphany.

Next to Naruto and her mother, Neji was probably the closest real friend that she had had in her entire life. In context, that seemed a pretty sad fact, but it rang with undeniable, completely unavoidable truth.

But Neji sort-of _got_ her in a way that Naruto didn't, (not because he didn't care about Tenten, but mostly because Naruto didn't consider that sort of thing to be too important to life in general). Naruto loved Tenten and Tenten loved Naruto, but they had never really had huge philosophical talks or anything of the sort.

So if Neji and her understood each other so well, and she didn't really want to chuck fireballs at his head anymore for being so damn cynical, and so maybe he _was_ too quiet, and…

Basically, Tenten had a small epiphany and decided that Neji was officially her _friend_. (And Tenten was a girl, and girls have to decide these things officially). The word really sounded pretty strange paired with his name.

This called for another visit! (Although, would Neji really be expecting her so soon? And would he actually want to talk after that whole mortifying blanket episode? Well, there was only one way to find out.)

Neji wasn't in his room again when she knocked on his door. After waiting around on the step for a while, Tenten went around to the front door, where thankfully an unknown cousin of Neji's answered the door and not Hiashi. The woman graciously informed Tenten that Neji was eating with his uncle and he would be with her momentarily. Tenten thanked her and found her way to Neji's room, managing to only run into a dead end two times before arriving there.

It took twenty minutes before Neji opened his door, (it didn't make a sound as it opened; freshly oiled hinges, of course) and raised his eyebrows at her sheepish expression. "Back so soon?" he said in a flat tone, coming to sit down. She laughed as he was about to sit next to her, thought better of it in light of the recent blanket episode, and took a seat in his usual seat across.

"Yeah. I had an epiphany," she said, grinning. It sounded like a pretty strange reason to be visiting him. But wasn't she has friend-therapist-interrogator-jailer? Wasn't it her responsibility to visit him? After all, Neji, as much as she saw of him, seemed to have little to no friends besides herself.

And she was his friend! A real, live, talking friend!

"I'm your friend!" she voiced out loud, and waited for a reaction. It began to sound rather stupid as seconds ticked by and all Neji did was stare at her like she was a very small child, his white eyes expressionless.

"So it would seem," he finally said in a slow voice. "Anything else?"

Tenten deflated. "Isn't that important? That I'm your actual friend? Friends hang out and tell each other secrets and let each other cry on their shoulders!"

"I am not going to inform you of my personal information," Neji said flatly. "And you may not weep on my shoulder. In any world."

Tenten laughed. It did sound kind of ridiculous for her to be the sobbing damsel-in-distress.

"True. We don't conform to the normal definition, do we?"

"Of course not," Neji said matter-of-factly. "Normal is overrated."

Tenten blinked. "Neji! You made a joke!"

O0O

"Karin," the white-haired man cooed. "I need a favor."

The redhead pretended to be busily stacking menus in a pile. The curry restaurant was deserted; the recent spell of very hot weather had driven all of the customers away. Besides, it was pitch dark outside, the color of black coffee, and nobody in their right mind would be wanting curry at this hour.

"What kind of favor?" she murmured in a quiet voice, so very unlike her usual loud tone. She pushed her black-rimmed glasses up the frame of her nose and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, the simple kind," Suigetsu drawled, coming around the counter to wrap his arms around her waist. She was sure that he felt it when her spine stiffened.

"You have to tell me before I agree," she growled, pushing his arms away.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Nothing too bad. I need for you to talk to your friend, that Tenten girl with the buns."

"What about?" Karin raised her fiery-colored eyebrows.

"Ask her where her boyfriend's from. I have a bone to pick with him."

"Boyfriend?" Karin furrowed her eyebrows. "Tenten?"

"A guy with white eyes. I'm sure he won't be too hard to find," Suigetsu said in a low voice. "I think there's some family on the other side of town with eyes like that. Get it out of her somehow, when she comes down for food. Let me know."

He came towards her again and pulled her close to him, and this time she didn't resist. He wound his hands into her red hair and kissed her gently, so very unlike his usual rough caresses. Puzzled, she tugged slightly at his hair and he parted from her.

"Something wrong?" he asked in a husky voice.

She hesitated, looking at him hard. "No. Nothing at all," she said finally.

--

**A/N: Please review!!**


	30. Questions

**A/N: Oh my god! Do I really have over 500 reviews on this story?? Wow, it really has been too long since I got on fanfiction and did some real work. xD But thank you guys so much for putting up with my bad updating habits and all. I hope this makes up for it. Somewhat. :p**

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**Day 30**

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"Are you ever going to tell me the story?" Tenten asked.

"Story?" Neji raised his eyebrows inquiringly at her before going back to the same medical text that he had been reading at the park earlier. They were in Tenten's favorite café, the one that the party had been held at. She took a sip of her sweet cappuccino, which was no longer steaming.

"Yeah. The story about your first kiss that I asked about when we were stuck in a blanket burrito," Tenten hid behind her coffee cup once more.

She heard rustling and then a dull _thump_ as Neji sat up straighter and carefully shut his textbook. Tenten could have sworn that she saw dust go up in the air as he did so and she set down her coffee cup a good distance from the book.

"It is not terribly interesting," Neji remarked dully, his white eyes scrutinizing her as if she were some kind of interesting zoo exhibit. Tenten got the feeling that he was trying to figure out how her brain functioned.

"Well, I think it would be," she argued. "Personally, I think it would be _fascinating_. What girl would ever kiss you?" she joked.

Neji smiled slightly as Tenten took another sip of coffee. "Actually, it was Hinata."

It took all of the self control Tenten had in her to keep from spitting a mouthful of cappuccino into Neji's face. Instead she forcefully swallowed the warm coffee and nearly choked.

"_Hinata_?! We _are_ talking about the same one here, right? As in my roommate? Your cousin?"

"Yes," Neji said, sounding amused.

Tenten sputtered herself into silence.

"It was a very long time ago," Neji said quietly.

"_Neji-nii-sama? Am I really going to marry you when I grow up?"_

_Neji blinked. "Of course. Hiashi-sama arranged for it."_

_Hinata bit her lip, her white eyes wide. She glanced up at the huge tree that they were standing under in the Hyuuga courtyard and shivered as a breeze blew through the Compound. "Then nii-sama will be my husband someday?"_

_Neji paused and considered this. "Yes."_

_Hinata hesitated. "Oh. Then I have to love nii-sama, right? I have to smile whenever you come home and give you a welcome back kiss like kaa-chan used to give otou-sama, right?"_

_Neji scowled. "I don't want any of that. It doesn't matter."_

_Hinata put her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "But kaa-chan's always given otou-sama a kiss when he comes home. I think it makes him happy. Wouldn't you like to try it out first? Before you say you wouldn't want a welcome back kiss?"_

_Before Neji could protest, Hinata stood up on her tip-toes and gave him a timid little chicken peck on the mouth. "Welcome home, Neji-nii-sama," she said in a happy little voice. _

Tenten smiled slightly. "And then what happened?"

Neji was silent for a moment. "Nothing of importance. You only wanted to hear of my first kiss."

"That's true," Tenten sighed. "It's so strange, that it was Hinata and you're supposed to get married, but now she's got Hiashi to consider letting her choose who she wants."

Neji shrugged. "It makes no difference to me."

"Really?" Tenten tossed her empty paper cup into the trashcan over her shoulder.

"Yes."

"So you really don't care about marrying somebody you love?" she pondered. "But that's so sad, Neji-kun!"

"It is not to me," he said in a calm voice. "Hinata may be happier now that our union is no longer existent, but I feel no difference."

"Of course there's a difference! You'll know that someday when you fall madly in love with some beautiful girl, and marrying her will be the happiest day of your life…" Tenten said, faltering slightly. Neji noticed her pause.

"What is it?"

Tenten shook her head. "No, it's nothing," she murmured, "I was just suddenly thinking of what that would be like. Your wedding, I mean."

Neji's lips twitched slightly. "I'm sure that would be difficult to imagine."

"It isn't, actually. Not for me," Tenten admitted. "You would be all dressed up in a stiff tuxedo and there would be very few guests. You'd have it held in the Compound, if possible, and the rites would be read very formally and the reception would be virtually nonexistent. And then, for a honeymoon, you would take your poor wife to some quiet and unexciting place."

Neji chuckled slightly. "Is that what you think?"

"Yes, and with good reason, too," Tenten answered defiantly.

"Well, perhaps you're right. But only time will tell," Neji said.

"I hope I'm wrong. Your wife would hate you after that kind of ceremony," Tenten laughed.

"Who would this wife be?" Neji asked flatly.

Tenten paused. "Good question."

"Does she have her hair up in buns, and is she wearing jeans?" Neji's lips twitched.

Tenten laughed. "I doubt it. If it had been me, I would never have put up with such a boring wedding. There would have at least been rainbow-colored confetti."

"Of course," Neji said in such a grave voice that Tenten had to laugh again.

"Yeah. Of course."

O0O

Karin acted oddly when Tenten went down to get curry for the four girls that night. She kept twitching to glance at Tenten while the curry was being prepared and other odd things like that. Finally, she came over and said hi.

Surprised, Tenten muttered a tentative "hello" back.

"So…I hear you've got a boyfriend now?" Karin asked, attempting to bring back the time, ages ago, when she and Tenten and the others had lain around on sleeping bags and gossiped about boys, (at least, they had and Tenten had pretended to listen).

Tenten nearly gagged. "Boyfriend?!"

"That…that white-eyed guy," Karin said hesitantly. "Isn't he your…?"

"No. Not in _any_ world," Tenten choked out. "Wow. Where did you hear that?"

Karin coughed. "Um. On the wind, you know. News travels fast."

"So what about Neji?" Tenten asked as the chef came out with the boxes of curry and tied them into a plastic bag for her.

"Neji? That's his name?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. He's actually sort-of my patient. It's a long story. He lives in the Hyuuga Compound on the other side of town, so I go and visit him a couple of times a week to just talk and hang out. It's nothing romantic in any way."

Karin bit her lip. Tenten blinked, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Did the redhead seem…disappointed?

"Sorry about jumping to conclusions, then," she muttered, quickly dropping her eyes and untying her black waitress apron, folding it on the table to distract herself. Tenten sensed that Karin was hiding something in the same moment that Karin looked straight back up at her, the lenses in her glasses glinting in the sunlight so that it was almost impossible to see her eyes through them.

"So he lives at the Compound? With a lot of other people?"

"Well…I guess. The entire Hyuuga clan's probably living in that place." Tenten shrugged, internally wondering why Karin was suddenly so curious about her personal life. She had never exhibited any sort of real interest before, even back when they had been "friends".

Karin nodded. "See you around, then." She went back to the apron and the menus. Tenten took that as her signal to turn tail and head for the door to get away from the redhead as quickly as possible, but Karin's voice stopped her hand on the door.

"Um…Tenten?"

"Yeah?" she half turned, expecting to be informed that she had not paid the correct amount of cash or that the tag was sticking out of the back of her shirt. Instead, Karin's mouth opened hesitatingly as if she were weighing her words even as she was about to speak them.

"Just…watch your back, okay?"

Tenten blinked. "I always do. But thanks anyways."

Karin nodded once more, and hastily turned to go into the kitchen.

O0O

In the middle of madly consuming her curry along with Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, Tenten's cell phone began to vibrate. It spun in an agitated little circle on the table before she picked it up, right before a grinning Ino made a grab for it. "Hello?" she asked while trying to ignore Ino's "who is it?" faces.

"Tenten-chan?"

Oh. Naruto.

"Hey, wassup," she said, sneaking another bite of curry. Naruto wouldn't mind if he could hear her eating. Besides, she was so hungry!

"Er…I need your help on something," the blonde said in a somewhat nervous tone, very unlike himself. "Could you come by the park later?"

"Uh, sure!" Tenten said, caught off guard. Naruto often asked her for help on schoolwork, but this didn't sound like the same kind of help. "When will you be around?"

"Probably all afternoon…it's a nice day," he answered. "See you later, okay? Ja ne!"

Tenten flipped the phone shut and sighed as Ino kept asking who it was. "Just Naruto, relax. I doubt Neji knows how to operate a cell phone, and that's the only person you'd be interested in if he called, right?" She stood up and picked up her now empty bowl of curry and rice. Ino blinked.

"No, I'd be interested if Shika or that Sasuke guy called." She quickly hid her grin as Sakura elbowed her a little harder than necessary in the ribs.

"How would Sasuke have Tenten's cell number?" she demanded. "That's just stupid."

"Lay off, would you? Sheesh! I was just joking," Ino pouted, sounding wounded. Hinata giggled at the pair while Tenten cleared the rest of the table.

"Hinata, you wanna come with when I go to the park later?" Tenten called over the sound of dishes clanging in the sink as she drenched them in bubbling, soapy water. She heard giggling and some quiet protests from Hinata as Ino immediately started to poke fun at her, most likely for blushing a previously unknown shade of red at the mere thought of talking to Naruto. Tenten rolled her eyes. She would have to fix Hinata's shyness a little if she ever wanted to get anywhere with Naruto.

"Um, s-sure!" she heard the tentative reply a few minutes later.

O0O

Naruto seemed pretty relieved, (overly relieved) to see Tenten showing up around the corner, but instantly turned pale at the sight of Hinata. _That's odd._ Tenten frowned. Naruto was almost always completely overexcited at the sight of Hinata, and then she would blush and everybody would get on with their respective days.

"Er…hi, Tenten," he said in a very subdued, non-Naruto manner. Tenten grinned.

"Hello yourself. What's up with you? You aren't sick, I hope." She reached out to feel his forehead and he slapped her hand away, embarrassed. Tenten grinned some more.

"I'm fine."

"Too much cup ramen will shrivel up your liver, and then where will you be?" Tenten rolled her eyes.

Naruto glared at her as if insulting ramen was the worst thing that a person could do in their lifetime, and nervously smiled at Hinata when Tenten didn't seem to care. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled, but didn't reply. Tenten noticed that she was barely blushing today. Maybe some of her shyness had finally started to wear off. In that case, Naruto was a good influence on her.

"What'd you want to talk to me about?" Tenten asked, curious.

Naruto instantly began to look even more agitated, glancing at Hinata again. "Erm."

Hinata took the hint instantly. "I'll go…feed the pigeons over there," she said quietly, her lips twitching. "I brought some crusty bread." As soon as she had wandered out of view, Naruto grabbed Tenten and dragged her behind a tree, checking to make sure that nobody was around. Tenten winced and pried his fingers off of her arm.

"Naruto, what is _up_ with you today?!"

"It's about Hinata-chan," Naruto whispered, checking around the tree again.

"What about her?" Tenten suddenly grew worried. "She's fine, right? Right?" She shook him a little by the shoulders, and this time he was the one that winced and had to pry fingers off of himself.

"She's fine. She's…" he hesitated, scuffing his toe in the ground. "Tenten-chan, how would you ask a girl out so that she would say yes?"

Tenten blinked. It took a moment to sink in, and then the hugest, goofiest grin spread across her face. She felt like she wanted to giggle madly, but that would attract unwanted attention. "You want to ask Hinata out?"

"Well, yeah," Naruto muttered. "But no girl would ever want to go out with me. That's why I want you to tell me how to—"

"Naruto, you don't need my help! Are you kidding me? Hinata would _love_ to go out with you! She's totally in love with you, and you hadn't figured it out yet? Oh my God!" Tenten grinned at Naruto's dumbfounded expression. Although she had felt overprotective of both of them at the beginning, now all she felt was happiness for her two friends. "I'm so glad that you're finally over Sakura and all."

Slowly, Naruto started to smile. "So…she doesn't think I'm a failure?" He motioned to where Hinata had disappeared around the bend.

"Dude, that is the _last_ thing she thinks you are." Tenten grinned even wider, although she hadn't thought it was possible for her face to remain intact. She probably looked something like the Cheshire cat by then.

Why shouldn't she laugh? Everything was right in the world.

O0O

"No, no, no!! Everything is wrong in the world," Sakura moaned, marching to and fro across the room. Ino sighed and closed her gossip magazine, setting it on the table next to her. Sakura's tantrum had started about two minutes ago and she was going at it at too loud of a volume to be ignored any longer.

"So. I take it you got bad news?" Ino motioned to the phone clutched in Sakura's hand, which happened to be employing a death grip.

Sakura gritted her teeth together. "Not so much bad news as just…well, my parents want me to go home. They've finally tracked down where I am."

Ino's eyes widened, remembering that Sakura had ran away.

"Well, then are you going to go?"

"Obviously, I don't want to. But I don't think I have much choice. If I don't go back on my own, they'll just come and get me themselves."

"They _are_ your parents, though. They do kind-of have a right to make you live with them. Don't you want to go back home?"

Sakura laughed sarcastically. "You don't know my family. I would do anything to be able to stay here with you guys. Yes, even you, Ino."

Ino sighed. "That's so strange."

"I know, I don't know why I ever became friends with you either."

"Not that," Ino laughed. "It's just that, while you would do anything to avoid going home, I would do anything to go back there with my family."

Sakura shrugged. "It proves a point."

"What point?"

"Everybody's different."

--

**A/N: Happy Holidays, and please review!**


	31. Adrenaline

**A/N: Happy belated New Years everybody :D I can't wait till Spring Break. -_-; **

**--**

**Day 31**

**--**

"Sasuke, I need a favor."

The black-haired man raised his eyebrows as Sakura pushed past him into his house without waiting for an answer, hauling a bursting-at-the-seams garbage bag filled with blankets and pillows and a smaller backpack that had a notebook and dilapidated stuffed dog sticking out of it, as well as her iPod. She dumped the collection unceremoniously by the couch and stared at him defiantly, but Sasuke did not so much as glance up as he quietly shut the door behind her.

"Could I—" she began in a tone showing that she wasn't really asking permission so much as stating what she was planning to do.

"Sakura, you are not living here," Sasuke cut her off flatly, his black eyes showing no hint of anger but his voice clearly saying that his word was final.

"I don't _want_ to live with you, moron," Sakura said, exasperated. "The idea of that makes me feel old and frankly, you would probably just force me into becoming your maidservant and I have no intention of washing dishes for the rest of my life." She took a deep breath. "I just…I need a place to crash for a while, okay?" She sat down cross-legged on top of his couch. He winced at the dirt covering her ripped jeans; his house was supposed to be kept meticulously clean.

Sasuke sauntered over with his hands in his pockets with a musing expression on his face and stopped standing over her. "No."

Sakura glared at him. "But _why_? I'm not going to bother you; I'll just sleep on your couch or something and during the daytime I'll be out of here. You'll barely notice I'm staying over."

Sasuke glanced at her dirty jeans once again. Sakura hastily brushed them off a little. "Um. I could vacuum for you?" she suggested, sounding like the notion of cleaning for him was making her gag.

Sasuke smirked at her tortured expression. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

Sakura looked mutinous and like she would have relished strangling him, but then thought better of it. She smiled slyly and stood up, winding her arms around his neck and tilting her head so that he could feel her breath against her jawbone. She grinned when she felt his arms encircle her waist.

"Please, Sasuke-kun?" she breathed, carefully placing a kiss on his neck. She felt a vibration through his chest when he chuckled softly.

"Sakura. No." His voice was strained, but firm.

She sighed and let go of him, about to pull away and end the game, but Sasuke's hold didn't loosen when she tugged at his arms. His ever-present smirk grew wider at her bewildered expression. She recognized the expression in his eyes the second before he pulled her closer to kiss her hungrily, crushing her against him. Sakura smiled in satisfaction against his mouth, returning the kiss with enthusiasm. She laced her fingers into his hair, pushing him onto the couch and landing on top of him, thoroughly enjoying herself.

His expression was apathetic, but his coal black eyes were dancing with amusement as he looked up at her when they parted for air. The ends of her pink hair brushed against his face. Sakura grinned widely. "Does this mean I win?"

"Not in the least." He ran his fingers along her cheek and was satisfied when he felt her breath hitch. In return, Sakura bent down to kiss him again with her bruised lips, feeling his arms against her back. When she pulled away again, she smiled breathlessly.

"Let's see if your answer's the same after some more persuasion." She laughed at his expression. "I'm referring to the fact that you haven't even asked me why exactly I need to stay at your place instead of the dorm so that I can explain myself," she said pointedly, "although _that_ kind of persuasion could work too." Sakura gently stroked his collarbone.

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, what are you doing in my house?"

"Simple. My parents found me, and I didn't want them to," she said.

He growled in irritation. "Sakura."

"Sasuke, I would rather die then go back home," she pleaded, her green eyes suddenly desperate. "Please, I'd owe you so much if you could just let me have this one favor."

The two of them fell silent for a while, and Sakura rolled off of him to sit on the ground beside the couch. Sasuke stared at the ceiling, unmoving. He sighed quietly. "Sakura, I understand what it is to hate those who share your own blood and to want to forget their existence on this planet altogether, better than you ever could."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but Sasuke silenced her with a look. "Let me finish." She nodded. "But you cannot hide from them forever," he said in a final-sounding voice. "Sooner or later, you will be forced to face your kin, and that day is coming."

Sakura put her face in her hands. "I can keep on running as long as I want. I can do what I damn well please, and thanks for the advice, but seeing as your own life isn't exactly a model of paradise, I think I'll decide for myself what I'm going to do."

Sasuke's expression hardened. "Very well, then. You may stay here for tonight, and only tonight, but I swear to you that you will regret hiding later on."

Sakura could tell that she had hit a nerve in him, but she was smart enough not to push it. "Thanks," she muttered long after Sasuke had got up and left out the back door. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

O0O

Tenten blinked, staring at the empty bunk in the corner of the dorm after coming back from the park and leaving Hinata and Naruto to themselves. Night had fallen by then, and Ino was busily cleaning up some leftover dishes in the sink when Tenten walked over to get a snack out of the storage cupboard. "Where'd Sakura go?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "She ran away. Again."

"What do you mean?" Tenten eyed the bed again. "Where did she go?"

Ino sighed and viciously dried a small soup bowl, handing it to Tenten to put into the closet of dish utensils. "I have no idea, but her parents apparently managed to find out that she was here, so she's running again."

Tenten bit her lip. "So she just up and left without saying a proper goodbye? She's out there on the streets all alone with all her stuff with her psycho parents hunting her down and no place to stay? And you _let her go_?!"

Ino shifted slightly away from Tenten's furious expression. "It wasn't like she left me much choice! I was trying to persuade her to talk to her parents and stay to think this through some more before just leaving, or at least securing another place to sleep tonight, but she ignored me while she was packing everything and nearly punched a hole in my chest when I tried to stop her from going through the door." Ino shook her head. "It's not like you're the only one that's worried," she muttered.

Tenten was surprised to hear the genuine concern about Sakura's wellbeing in Ino's voice. The two had developed a strange sort of friendship over the past few weeks. "Do you have her cell phone number?"

Ino shrugged. "Yeah. It's stored in my phone on the table. But good luck trying to get her to pick up; it either rings indefinitely or goes straight to voice mail. No use."

"What about something she said? Does she have _any_ idea where she'll stay? Or is she planning on just bunking down in the street?"

Ino pushed back a strand of blonde hair irritably. "I don't _know_, Weapon's Mistress, or otherwise would I still _be_ here? Hell no, I'd be out there knocking some sense into her stupid head."

"Well, maybe she has friends in this region?" Tenten asked hopefully.

"Tenten, if she'd had friends to stay with, do you think she would have randomly come up to you in a coffee shop and asked for a cheap place to stay? You, a complete stranger? Come on. Use your brain."

"I know, I know," Tenten muttered, pacing up and down.

"We could always call the authorities," Ino said, hesitantly glancing at her phone.

"No way. They'd just send her straight back to her parents, or worse. I think we've got to find her on our own."

"Maybe…do you think she went to the Uchiha guy?" Ino asked quietly. "I mean, he must be one of the only people that she knows around here."

Tenten shrugged. "Sakura seems like she would rather eat her own foot than ask him for help, but she might have if she had no other options. Maybe we should go ask him about her."

Ino nodded. "Do you want to wait till Hinata gets back?"

Tenten shook her head. "Nah, it would only ruin her happy mood. We should go now and hurry up while we have the chance."

Ino looked confused. "Happy mood?"

Tenten suddenly remembered that Ino hadn't been told the good news yet. She smiled distractedly, rapidly picking up a jacket and her cell phone as well as her wallet with some bills in it for quick transportation. "Yeah. Naruto finally got smart and asked her out."

Ino laughed happily. "Oh my god, that's awesome! I can't wait to see her face when we get back." She grabbed her denim jacket with the pink hearts on the back.

Her face immediately sobered up as she slid on some shoes and opened the door, glancing back at Tenten, who was lacing up her Nikes once again. When Tenten straightened up, her face was serious again as well. The rapid personality change was odd, but neither of them could concentrate on Hinata's happy ending while Sakura was possibly out there alone at night and being hunted down by her parents and possibly the authorities, who would have been notified.

O0O

Neji bowed respectfully to Hiashi before leaving the dining room and his empty rice bowl to the maids. The hallways of the Hyuuga Compound were dark and seemingly deserted at this time of night; his footsteps echoed softly through the air as he wound his way through the passages back to his room. Silence was always the best sound to his ears.

His room was completely dark when he arrived there, and as he walked in groping for the light bulb, he sensed an ominous presence in the air. His spine stiffened as he narrowed his eyes in the darkness, attempting to scope out anything moving under cover of night. Nothing stirred, but the foreboding in his chest did not leave him. His sixth sense had never been wrong before.

As doubt started to enter his mind about his suspicions, a voice suddenly spoke into the room. "Hyuuga Neji, I've been waitin' for you."

He heard the thud of two feet hitting the ground and turned to the windowsill, where a white-haired man with glinting, pale eyes had been sitting a moment before. The slight lighting from the window illuminated his ashen face and his pale lips, which were stretched into a feral grin. Neji's eyes narrowed when he realized that it was the same man who had attacked Tenten in the alley.

"What do you want?" he demanded coldly.

"Let's go outside and appreciate the scenery first, and then I'll tell ya if I feel like it," Suigetsu drawled, coming to a stop facing Neji. Two sets of pale eyes locked in a stare full of hatred for the other.

Neji nodded stiffly, and pushed open his door further, keeping Suigetsu in his line of sight as they progressed towards the door leading to the same courtyard that he had taken Tenten to, the courtyard where his father rested beneath his gravestone.

Out under the night sky, the cool breeze whistled through Neji's ears, and his white eyes welcomed the sight of the moon, which illuminated everything in a pleasant, silvery glow. Suigetsu's hair shown white, and his grin never slipped from his face. Neji realized that he was playing with a pocketknife in his left hand.

"I will ask you again, what do you want?" Neji said.

Suigetsu turned around to leer at him with his sharp canine teeth showing. "Well, needless to say, you're the fellow that robbed me of the chance to acquaint myself with a lovely young lady." His smile grew wider as Neji's face contorted in fury at the memory, his fists clenching involuntarily at his sides. A moment passed, and Neji regained his normal, calm composure.

Suigetsu sighed and sheathed the pocketknife, glancing up at the sky with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "She was a rather interesting one. Didn't seem to want to cooperate. Tenten, was it?"

Neji stood silently and watched Suigetsu through narrowed eyes. "And what exactly is your name?"

"Suigetsu," the white-haired man bowed so low that his mocking attitude was blatantly obvious. "It's not a name I mean for you to forget," he added in a tone of voice like he was talking about the weather. "See, I don't like it when I'm prevented from getting what I want. And Tenten was something I wanted."

Neji's hands were balled into fists again. "You are disgusting," he said, loathing in his voice. "If you had truly harmed her, I would not have hesitated to—"

"To what?" Suigetsu laughed insanely. "To kill me? But I don't think you're that kind of guy, Hyuuga. Would you enjoy taking my life? Would you like to try, right now? Punish me for what I did to her, and all of the things that I wanted to do before you stopped me from doing them."

"Leave," Neji said coldly. "If that is all you have to say, then you will leave now or I will force you to oblige."

"Not quite yet," Suigetsu hissed. "I think I may have something you want."

Neji's face remained carefully expressionless. "You could not have anything I would ever want. Leave."

"On the contrary…" Suigetsu sauntered over to the gravestone under which Neji's father rested, and Neji felt his shoulders tense. He vanished behind the huge stone for a moment, and when he came out again, he was not alone. Neji felt his pale eyes widen involuntarily.

Suigetsu grinned at Neji's shocked expression. Hanabi was struggling in between his arms, a gag in her mouth and her hands tied behind her back. There was a growing indigo bruise across one cheek. She seemed highly disoriented, but she was still putting up a fight.

"Let go of her," Neji rasped, fury clouding his mind. "Let my cousin go."

"Not likely," Suigetsu grinned. "At least, not until I feel like it." His blade came to rest against Hanabi's neck, and she instantly froze, her white eyes full of fear as she stared at Neji.

"What do you want in exchange for her safety?" Neji finally responded, resignation in his voice.

"First off, I'd like to fight you and prove who's the better man when you don't have a sneak attack advantage." Suigetsu laughed cruelly and pressed the knife a little harder against Hanabi's neck.

Neji's gaze hardened. "You are going to these lengths to ensure a rematch?"

Suigetsu shook his head. "Do I look stupid to you? There's more than that." Neji responded with grave silence, waiting for Suigetsu to list the rest of his conditions. He could not allow Hanabi to be harmed.

"I want Tenten, in exchange for her."

Neji's response was immediate. "No."

"Well, then, I'm terribly sorry for what's got to happen now." Suigetsu made a move to use his knife.

"Wait." Neji's voice was quiet. "I…I will work something out. Just let Hanabi go first."

"Are you assuming that I would take your word seriously?"

"As a member of one of the most esteemed families in Japan, I would assume that you are taking my word seriously. I do not lie, bluff, cheat, or steal. I am sure the same could not be said of you. Return my cousin to me immediately."

Suigetsu laughed. "Not so fast. I'm taking her with me. Come to the laundry woman's alley tomorrow at 3:30 in the afternoon sharp. Bring Tenten and you get this little girl back in return. We can have our rematch then."

"What do you plan to do with Tenten?"

"Ah, nothing too unpleasant, I'm sure. Orochimaru-sama has something planned for that one," Suigetsu leered. "She may have escaped my grasp because of your heroic interference, but we have need of some other things from her."

Neji gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes and quickly attempted to calculate any alternative options that were left to him. None occurred.

"Do you agree to my terms?"

Neji paused.

"Yes."

O0O

Tenten was surprised when her cell phone rang fifteen minutes into her quest for Sakura with Ino. They were standing in an overcrowded subway, wincing as businessmen coming home from a day at work pushed them aside in their effort to find a seat. It took a lot of work to struggle into a position where she could retrieve it from her back pocket, (although it occurred to her that she should have put it somewhere else, as pickpockets were probably everywhere).

"Hello?" she gasped into the phone as a short and burly little man hit her in the shin with the edge of his briefcase. He didn't bother to stop and apologize as her eyes watered in pain. Ino looked torn between curiosity as to who was calling, and a strange mixture of sympathy and amusement as to her new leg injury.

"Tenten! How's my little girl doing?" her mother's voice came over the phone. She could hear the buzz of soft voices in the background.

"Oh, uh…hi, mom!" Tenten said in surprise, raising her eyebrows at a disappointed-looking Ino. "How's it going?"

"I asked first, honey," her mom laughed, "but since you're wondering, I'm having a great time. It's intermission time at this great concert I'm seeing; it's out under the open sky! The bassoonist is absolutely amazing, I'll have to dig out my old one when I get home and ask him how he makes his reeds after the show-"

"I'm glad you're having fun, kaa-san, but could I call you back?" Tenten resisted yelling a curse after a woman who elbowed her roughly in the ribs to get closer to one of the subway's doors as they neared the next stop. "It's kind-of a bad time right now."

Her mother sounded slightly disappointed when she replied. "Oh, that's fine, Tenten-chan. Don't forget to call later, then. I miss you."

"Miss you too." Tenten quickly steeled herself as the subway screeched to a halt and narrowly avoided breaking her nose against the pole she was holding on to. "Bye mom." She hung up the phone.

Ino sighed. "I wish my mom called more often."

"Ino, the woman leaves you like three voicemails every single day, and you just forget to return them, remember?"

The blonde grinned. "Oh, yeah."

Tenten's phone started ringing again almost as soon as the subway started pulling away from the station. She and Ino both looked at it in surprise. Tenten's phone calls were usually limited to Naruto and her mother, and seeing as the later had just finished talking to her, Tenten assumed it was Naruto having some kind of late night ramen emergency.

"Moshi moshi?" she said into the cell.

"Tenten."

From the expression of surprise on her face, Ino sensed something was up. "Who is it?" she mouthed. Tenten shook her head.

"Neji?"

Ino looked like she was about to squeal.

"Tenten, there is something urgent that we need to discuss."

"Uh, is it the type of urgent that can wait till later? I'm kind-of on a subway right now, and Ino and I are on our way to Uchiha Sasuke's house."

She heard Neji give an exasperated growl on the other end of the line. "Urgent is urgent. I would not bother you otherwise."

Now she knew that something was really up. Neji was always the calm, cool, and collected rock in their friendship while Tenten raved on and on with meaningless babble, (alright, she was exaggerating, but it was basically how it seemed). She felt her heart speeding up as she imagined the kinds of scenarios that could start Neji panicking.

"Alright, shoot. What's wrong?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Suigetsu paid a visit to my house tonight, and he took my cousin."

Tenten turned pale and stopped breathing for a moment. Karin's odd warning in the curry shop came back into her mind, and she cursed herself for not thinking more of it. She shuddered at the memory of Suigetsu's wild eyes. "Which cousin?" she whispered.

"He took Hanabi."

"Oh, God. Oh my God," Tenten bit her lip, trying to steady herself. "Do you have any idea how to get her back? Neji, we should call the cops."

"I know you understand that he will kill her if we do so."

"Then you tell me, how are you going to handle this little situation?" she barked, worry making her agitated.

"Suigetsu made me an offer. If I go to Orochimaru's hideout in that alley where he attacked you tomorrow afternoon and fight a fair fight with him, he will let Hanabi go."

Tenten hissed out between her teeth. "That's it? He kidnapped your cousin so that he could fight you?"

Neji paused. "There is one other condition."

"What's that? Money? He works for a freaking drug dealer, of course he wants money. How are you going to—"

"Tenten, he wants me to trade you in for Hanabi."

Tenten immediately fell silent. She could feel her blood turn cold as it ran through her veins and a shiver went down her spine. Ino was rapidly gesticulating, probably trying to convey that she wanted to know what was going on. Tenten didn't know how to answer, because she had no idea what was happening.

"He wants…me? But why?"

"Tenten, he seems to think that Orochimaru has something planned for you. I…I agreed to take you to him tomorrow in return for Hanabi's safety." Neji's voice sounded tormented. Tenten felt a hysteria coming over her.

"You _agreed _to hand me over to—"

"I am not planning on actually doing it," Neji cut her off. "Tenten, I am not risking your safety as well. I am calling you to inform you of what has happened and to warn you that when I refuse to give Suigetsu what he wants, he may come after you. Do you understand?"

Her throat felt dry. First Sakura running away with the cops and her crazy family on her heels, and now this. At the beginning of the summer, she had been a bored teenager with few friends and basically no life. Now her life felt like one of those insanely improbable TV dramas her mother watched. What had _happened_? She wasn't sure she liked the excitement.

"Neji, what will they do to Hanabi if you break your word? What will they do to _you_? You can't be thinking of going tomorrow, we have to figure something else out—"

"_Tenten_," Neji interrupted in a forceful voice. "You will stay safe and hidden. You will not involve yourself in this. Do you hear me? I will bring back Hanabi unharmed, and Suigetsu will be dealt with. I need for you to do what I am asking you to."

"Neji, you know I can't do that! Not when you're putting your life—"

"I know what I am doing—"

"Stop interrupting me, damn it!" Tenten realized that she was attracting quite a few stares from the people around her, especially Ino, who's blue eyes were as round as saucers and her face most likely paler than Tenten's. She looked like she was on the verge of fainting, just by listening to Tenten's end of the conversation. "You are not making yourself the hero by going to that place alone and attempting to get past Orochimaru's crew to Hanabi."

"There is no other way. I refuse to involve the police; they do not know what they are doing and Hanabi will die. They have been outwitted by Orochimaru for all of these years; they will not be of any help to us now."

"Does Hiashi know what's happened?"

"Not yet, but I will tell him."

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Don't do anything stupid. Yet."

"Tenten—"

"I'm coming with you tomorrow."

--

**A/N: Woah there, that was an interesting chapter o.o But please review!**


	32. Nighttime

**A/N: Wooooooooooaaaah it's been a while. Haha. Sorry. O.O School has been insane. Plus band. And I can't FIGURE OUT THIS FREAKING PROOF I AM DOING. Stupid circles. **

**Anyways, I'm sure you're all interested in what's going to happen to Tenten and her friends xD. So here it is!**

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**Day 32**

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Trying to get out of the subway station was just as bad as trying to squeeze in, if not worse. Tenten nearly spliced herself in half against the closing door of the train as she was pushed every which way by the stocky businessmen. If it weren't for the neon shade of Ino's hair, she would have lost track of the blonde completely.

Shoving against the squirming mass of people preoccupied her mind almost enough to stop her heart from trying to leap out of her ribcage. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she yelled and attempted getting out of the crowd alive. As the masses of well-dressed working citizens began to thin, Ino was visible again. She was no less pale than she had been on the train.

"Tenten…" she stopped to catch her breath. Her hair was all tousled, but for once she wasn't completely preoccupied with stray hairs. Her blue eyes were wide. "…what are we-"

"I don't know," Tenten sighed. She didn't like or want Ino questioning her like she knew the answers. Ino was supposed to be the infallible one that overcompensated for silence and uncertainty. Tenten's personality didn't seem to be built for any of that. All her brain could think of was Neji and Sakura, and her body didn't like having all that worry warring with each other. Tenten was certain she was going to explode in a messy catastrophe all over the underground.

"Are we still going to Uchiha's? We're going to have to go on foot." Ino glanced sadly down at her shoes. "I really didn't want to wear out these this early, but it's for a good cause." She sighed dramatically in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Tenten shrugged. "I guess we've come this far…but I feel like I should go see Neji."

Ino nodded wisely. "I'll go to find Sakura. You go find Neji. It'll go faster that way." Tenten looked uncertain. It was already almost pitch dark outside, and you could barely see a few feet in front of you without the assistance of a street lamp. All sorts of dangers roamed in the shadows of her city.

Ino read her mind and winked. "I'll be fine. It's just a couple of blocks."

Tenten shook her head. "Still, at least I know some martial arts. You've got—" She had been about to say nothing, but Ino held up her tiny little purse defiantly.

"I can swing this thing like no other," she said solemnly.

Tenten looked uncertainly at the handbag, and then remembered Ino's meat cleaver stashed away in her luggage. Her worry shifted to whatever pedophile tried jumping Ino. They'd be in the hospital within seconds. "I don't suppose you've got pepper spray in there too?" she asked faintly.

Ino grinned, revealing her startling white teeth. "Of course not. It's a tazer."

O0O

The ride back in the opposite direction was a rather silent one: Tenten actually had a seat, and it was dark enough to see her reflection in the window of the train. She leaned on her palm, letting the soft rhythm of the subway speeding over its tracks calm her mind. Her face was pale and there were faint bags under her eyes. She wondered if that had been coming on for a while, or if it had been the sole result of recent events.

The Hyuuga Compound was a good block or two away from the station, and not by any road. She knew the shortcut was through a wide courtyard that during the day streamed with employees getting to work in the buildings around it. It was eerie at night: she had never walked through this way before after dark. The buildings cast shadows and warped them into strange shapes. Despite never having feared the dark, Tenten walked a little faster than usual.

The Compound didn't look much different by moonlight. She was grateful to see the familiar shapes of the wooden buildings. It didn't take her more than five minutes to find Neji's room by now, and she rapped on the glass, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Summer nights could get chilly.

When nobody answered, she rapped again. Her knuckles seemed to burn against the freezing glass. They were red; she could tell from the faint light coming from within the room. She knew Neji was in there. She was also positive he knew who she was. Nobody else would come at this time of night from the outside.

"Neji!" she called. It sounded loud in the silence of the night. It seemed like the crickets were sensing the stress.

She heard the latch within the door click, and Neji appeared in the doorway framed by the gold light from his room. Tenten had the odd urge to laugh, because he looked like he was glowing. She felt relief instantly swell in her chest at the sight of him. She had never been more glad to see anybody as far back as she could remember.

He looked like he was about to sigh, but instead he just stepped aside and motioned for her to come inside.

Tenten quickly closed the door behind herself, rubbing her arms. The hair was standing up on the back of her neck, and she had goose bumps rising all over. It was probably due more to terror than the cold. She sat down carefully in her usual place and curled up into a little ball almost immediately. Neji sat down in his chair. He had been reading the newspaper, judging from how it was open on his desk.

"Tenten," Neji said quietly, "You are not coming with me tomorrow afternoon."

"I am!" she immediately responded. It came out sounding more childish than she had intended. Neji's lip twitched slightly. It seemed like he always found the time to laugh at her. "It's not funny. I'm being serious," she muttered.

"I know you are. You are not going."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"It's my cousin in jeopardy here."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the person you're exchanging for her. I get my say in this."

"No, you do not. You are staying here. The other Hyuugas will ensure that you are safe. You may bring that blonde girl, and that strange pink-haired girl as well. Hiashi has already gone to collect Hinata."

"Sakura's gone; she ran away again. Ino's gone to the Uchiha's place to see if he knows anything. And I appreciate your concern, but Hinata and I will be perfectly fine. You do know that she just had a perfect afternoon? And now you ruined it by dumping this on her too?"

Neji's stare turned icy. "It is her sister that we are talking about, Tenten."

Tenten sighed. Misery was filling her up now to compete with the anxiety and fear. It wasn't a good mix. It made her stomach queasy. "I know." She knew it wasn't Neji's fault, his least of all. Mostly she was blaming herself.

"Tenten," he said in a softer voice after a beat of silence. She noticed that their moments of silence were getting shorter and shorter, as well as more natural than awkward, but that might have had to do with the necessity to talk in the mad situations they were thrust into. "Tenten, I will take care of Suigetsu. I will bring Hanabi home and make you safe again."

"Neji—"

"That is what will happen," he said flatly.

"Like hell it will! I'm coming with you, and there's no way I'm staying here waiting around to hear how bad you got it, and oh, by the way, Hanabi's dead. I'm not some damsel in distress! You don't always have to do everything—"

"This is my responsibility; I was the one that let Hanabi be taken away—"

"Yeah, well, there wasn't much you could do about it! I'm the one that knew Suigetsu was going to try something like this, and I didn't try to do anything—"

"Tenten, you are not guilty of all that has happened!"

By now, Neji's voice was nearly at the level of a roar, but like always his tone was even. She had no idea how he managed to sound so calm when he was practically yelling at her. She subsided into a furious silence. This time, Neji did sigh, but it was one of his strange and dignified sighs. He put his head in his hands.

Far off in the silence, Tenten was aware of the second hand on a clock ticking quietly. She hesitated, watching Neji. He showed no visible signs of moving. She got up and walked over to him, kneeling down.

"Neji?" she asked tentatively. He didn't move an inch. She sighed and attempted to pry his hands away, and to her surprise his left hand came away in hers with no struggle at all. His white eye opened to stare at her, and he shifted his other hand to the side of his face to glare sternly at her with both startling pale eyes. Tenten gulped involuntarily.

Instead, she inhaled and exhaled in one of her own sighs: she hated comparing them to Neji's. "We might not get a happy ending, you know. But I want to be there tomorrow and make things right. I've got to make things right," she said quietly. "You're not allowed to do it for me."

"Tenten, they're going to hurt you," he said in an equally quiet voice. His white eyes narrowed. "Suigetsu is going to hurt you."

Tenten smiled slightly. "Not if I can help it. I'd be more worried about _his_ physical well-being, if I were you." Neji growled in frustration and straightened up slightly. Tenten laughed a little at his expression. Neji raised his eyebrows at her and stood up from his chair, only to sit back down on the floor next to her. She blinked in surprise.

"You're…sitting on the floor of your own free will. Informally."

Neji shrugged. "Sometimes you seem like you believe I am not human."

She shrugged right back at him. "You have to admit that you're more like a robot than most average people you meet walking down the street. You're braver than the rest of us, too. Smarter. Probably stronger, but I'm still better." She grinned. "It seems like you can make anything turn out alright."

Neji shook his head. "I like to believe that too."

Tenten's grin vanished. Fear was beginning to choke her chest again. Tomorrow seemed much closer than she would have liked. Yes, she was sure that she wholeheartedly wanted to go with Neji: after all, she could have never left him to face Orochimaru's thugs alone. But that didn't mean she wasn't terrified.

"I…Neji, I'm scared for Hanabi. I'm a little scared for me, too, but mostly I'm afraid for you." When he turned to look abruptly at her, she realized how close they were. She could feel his body heat radiating out. It was a small comfort. His white eyes pierced through her like they were searching for the reasons behind her mad pronouncements. "Neji, we can't call the police, but can't we get Hiashi to go with us? Or…"

Neji shook his head slowly. "Tenten, I have to go alone."

"Not alone. With me. He wants me," Tenten reminded him immediately.

"I know." Neji frowned. "That Suigetsu will die."

Tenten blinked. His voice had been so vehement that it was unlike the usually cool and collected Neji she knew. It frightened her even more. "Don't say that."

"I will not let him touch you," he promised.

"No need to get homicidal over that. Don't worry, I'll keep him plenty busy." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, her nose buried in his shoulder. His back only stiffened for a few seconds before he relaxed into her hold. She smiled against his shirt.

"Don't do anything rash, please," she murmured. "Don't die on me, please, Neji."

She felt a jolt of surprise when his arms encircled her back protectively and held her close to him. "As long as you promise the same," he said quietly, his breath tickling her ear.

O0O

The biting cold seemed determined to permeate Ino's clothes. She gritted her teeth and walked abruptly on, the cold sidewalk reflecting her footsteps as she progressed. She could see the familiar outline of the Uchiha house in the distance. The lights were on; she could tell from the one glowing downstairs window.

In the darkness, the colors of the Uchiha crest melded into gray and black, but the shape of the fan on the door was still visible. She spent some time groping along the side of the front door for the doorbell, and accidentally pressed it while she was searching for it. She heard it ring inside the house.

A moment later, the door unlocked and swung open.

Uchiha Sasuke stared down at her with a look fit to murder several people at once. Ino gulped. There weren't many people who intimidated her, but he was definitely among them. His black eyes narrowed. "You're that girl," he pronounced finally after what seemed like hours of careful speculation.

Ino let out a breath of slight annoyance despite herself. "Yeah, glad to see you know me. Do you know where Sakura is?"

Sasuke's face was immobile. The light was too poor for her to distinguish anything much, anyways. "Sakura? Is she not in your dorm?"

Ino sighed. "She ran away. Her parents are looking for her, and they got a tip-off. Do you have any idea where she could have gone?"

Sasuke stayed silent for a few seconds. It seemed like he was deliberating with himself. Then, Ino heard a voice call from within the house. "It's okay, Sasuke-kun. You can let Ino in."

From the doorway, Sasuke grunted in both irritation and acknowledgement. "It's not your house. You don't decide who comes inside," he muttered, but let Ino pass over the threshold anyways.

Her blue eyes widened to find Sakura sitting cross-legged on Sasuke's blue couch, looking perfectly in one piece. Her first instinct was to scream in joy and hug the pink-haired girl to pieces in relief. The second was to strangle her for making them worry for nothing. The third was anxiousness as to how to tell her about Tenten's current situation.

While she stood there going through flashes of different moods, seemingly gawping at the girl like an idiot, Sasuke quietly closed the front door and came up behind Ino to give her a small nudge forward. "As you can see, she is perfectly healthy," he said in a somewhat amused tone (it was always difficult to say with Sasuke).

"Damn straight she is," Ino muttered.

Sakura's green eyes danced with amusement. "Awwww, Ino-pig, you were worried about me? I thought Hinata might be, so I felt bad, but I thought you would dance on my grave or something."

"You weren't dead," Ino growled. "You could have been."

Sakura shrugged. "Nah."

"Is that all you've got to say?!" Ino thundered. The absolute-fury phase was taking full control of her by now. Sasuke smirked at Sakura in an I-told-you-so way, who glared back at him, and stuck his hands in his pockets, sauntering off down the hallway so he wasn't around when Ino started breaking whatever was within reach.

"Actually, it is," Sakura said calmly. "Now, would you care for some tea?"

Ino ground her teeth harshly together, producing a nasty grating sound. Sakura winced. "Do you know how long we've searched for you?" she said in a deadly quiet voice. That was when you knew Ino was really getting ready to kill you. "Do you _know_ what kind of a situation we are in?"

"Well, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. I'm perfectly alright. Is that all you needed to know? Because I'm not coming back to the dorm. Nothing you say or do is going to convince me. I'm staying right here with the Uchiha." Sakura tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and tilted her head slightly to await Ino's reply.

Ino struggled for words for a full minute out of pure fury. And then, she smiled sweetly and said, "How does a fight with Orochimaru's gang sound to you and your precious Sasuke-kun?"

--

**A/N: Wooooooh it's done :D Forgive mistakes please, I'm so whacked out right now. Should go to sleep. **


	33. Rescue

**A/N: Before the screaming begins, I would like to say that yes, I am aware that I haven't updated in months. Having said that…please have mercy o.O **

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**Day 33**

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"Sasuke-kun—"

His glare silenced the words that were about to come out of Sakura's mouth. Her green eyes flared with anger. Ino started to whistle and walked a little more briskly ahead so that she was barely out of hearing range. Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino and turned to glare back at Sasuke.

"This is obviously some crackpot plan to get you back in his dealings, you know."

Sasuke was strolling, completely relaxed, his hands in the pockets of his dark pants. When he lifted his head to stare at the moon, the earring glittered in his ear. His lips quirked up slightly at the corners when he responded, "Does it make a difference?"

"Of course it makes a difference," Sakura sighed, turning so that she was facing forward as she walked again. Nobody looking on would have guessed that the two of them were walking together with Ino, or talking to each other.

"Hn…" he grunted. "Sakura…I'm going to ask you something."

She stayed silent, but her footsteps slowed a little. Sasuke took that as an invitation to continue. "Do you care about what happens to your friend?"

"What kind of a question is that?" she snapped. "If I just sit around letting Tenten go and get herself killed, what kind of a douche bag would I be? Not to mention Hanabi—" Sasuke interrupted her with a look again as he so often did.

"Then it does not matter what Orochimaru's true intents are. We go and we save them. Everything is much simpler than you make it out to be." He picked up his pace again, although he still made it look as though he were sauntering. Sakura broke into a sprint and turned so that she was blocking his path in the middle of the street. Sasuke stopped, but he was still gazing up at the sky.

"Look at me," she growled, shoving him a little. He raised his eyebrows as he looked down at her, his black eyes flat. "That's it? You're just going to walk into such an obvious trap and get yourself gruesomely wounded when you don't even have to come in the first place?"

He reached out a pale hand and touched the shark tooth earring in her ear, the one that was identical to his. "Do you remember what this is?" he said in a quiet voice. Sakura sighed and pushed his hand away.

"It's a promise," she muttered. "But it's an old promise, and it doesn't entitle you to getting yourself killed for no reason."

He shrugged. "I am not intending to let that snake kill me. That would be a worthless death." His eyes flashed at her suddenly. "An old promise is just as strong as one that you made yesterday."

Sakura snorted, and tugged lightly on her earring. "Right."

O0O

"Are you sure it's safe here?" Sakura asked nervously, her green eyes roving this way and that in the dark, trying to seek out potential threats. "This is going to be the first place that my parents come to search for me."

Ino sighed and twisted slightly behind the brush where they were hiding near the dormitory. She winced when she scratched her knee with a thorn. "Well, it's not like they're going to think to look out here." They were hidden in the overgrown back garden of the place, where it seemed like nobody had gone for decades judging by the thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

Sasuke seemed to blend into this scenery perfectly. They would have forgotten he was there at all if it weren't for the occasional glimpse they caught when he shifted and the faint moonlight reflected off of his earring. Sakura settled in a little more securely next to the thorn bush, and nearly screamed when there was a loud rustle to her left. Ino hastily clamped a hand over her mouth.

After a minute, Tenten's face emerged through the brambles. She was scowling in irritation and several of her brown hairs had gotten tangled up in the brush. "Yeah, thanks for coming up with such a great hiding spot, Ino," she muttered, her voice dripping sarcasm. "What was it you were saying? 'It's comfortable and the best part is that we're hiding right in plain sight.' Comfortable, my—"

At that moment she was interrupted by another loud rustling, and two more faces popped out of the bushes. Naruto grinned and winced when he stretched a bleeding cut on his face. On Tenten's other side, Rock Lee saluted Sakura with difficulty and ended up falling over onto his side among the thorns.

"What are _they_ doing here?" Ino hissed, her blue eyes frantic.

Tenten sighed and shook her head. "Naruto heard from Hinata, of course. I tried to lose him, but it's really impossible to discourage him once he's determined. And Lee, of course, just had to tag along because Naruto's got a big mouth." She shrugged. "You can try to get rid of them if you want, because I've failed the entire way here."

Naruto shoved Tenten in the shoulder. "Hey, it's Hinata's little sister we're talking about here, and you! It's not like I could just be sitting at home eating ramen. I'm coming." His cerulean eyes narrowed as he looked at Ino. She held up her hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Just don't mess things up, because I swear, I will kill you if you do," she muttered.

"Ino, is there anybody else you called to meet here?" Sakura asked quietly.

Ino whipped out her cell phone. "I called Tenten and I picked up you and that Uchiha kid…hey, didn't you bring Neji? And has anybody seen Hinata?"

"Neji's coming; he has some things to sort out with Hiashi, I think." Tenten chewed her lip. "Hinata…she went out to buy some snacks this afternoon, and she said something about—" Tenten suddenly whipped around to stare at Naruto, who at this point was bright red and whistling as if he wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all. "She was with you, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Then when the hell is she now?" Tenten nearly yelled and shook him at the shoulders. "Do you know how dangerous it is to—"

"Yes! Yeah! I know!" Naruto pried Tenten off of him. "Yeesh. Do you really think I would have just left her all alone in the dark? Neji called her with something urgent, so I walked her back to the Compound."

"That would have been the news about Hanabi, then…" Tenten muttered. "Must have just missed her. Neji'll probably bring her over. Anybody else?"

Ino shook her head firmly. "I really don't think we should get anybody else involved in this. Whatever happens will happen, and we have to deal with it."

Sakura and Tenten nodded together. "Let's do this," Tenten said grimly.

O0O

The next morning was a grim one: the sky was slate gray, the color of old cement, and ominous storm clouds the color of charcoal hovered over the city. There was a tiny little splotch of brightness where the white sun was hidden behind a particularly large cloud, but overall there was a gray-blue sheen cast over the city as only a rainy sky can bring.

Tenten's five minutes of waking up felt like a true hangover experience. There was some kind of disgusting crust between her eyelids, and it felt like there was something stuck in her throat. There was an acute pain in her head right behind her right ear. She groaned when she finally managed to sit up and open her eyes. She had to take a moment to steady herself. The clock on the nightstand read 6:30 A.M.

It would have been wiser to try to get some more sleep, but the churning in her stomach and the acid feel of adrenaline in her body did a good job of preventing all her efforts of resting more from succeeding.

The mirror in the bathroom informed her that she looked terrible. Her reflection displayed a haggard, pale face with deep purple bruise-like bags under the eyes and a spot of drool on the chin. She sighed and washed her face with cold water.

Sakura was already up when she got out of the bathroom. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a bowl of cereal that she obviously wasn't going to eat. She looked up at Tenten when she closed the bathroom door behind her. She was biting her lip so hard that it looked like she was going to draw blood. "Nobody's going to die, right?" she said finally.

Tenten sat down quietly at the table. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let that happen," she said fiercely. Sakura smiled slightly.

"Amen to that."

Despite the circumstances, Ino managed to sleep until 11. They had been up late the night before, but Sakura and Tenten didn't feel any of the side effects. Hinata was up about an hour after they woke up, and they managed to reluctantly down some cereal that tasted and felt like cardboard.

Ino ate 3 waffles, 2 bowls of cereal, a banana, an orange, a glass of chocolate milk, a meat bun, and 2 sausages.

The three girls stared as she gradually built up a slow pile of dirty plates and bowls next to her on the table. It seemed like they all had different ways of showing their extreme anxiety. Tenten couldn't help smiling at the teetering pile of dirty utensils once Ino was through with their pantry. It helped to lift the doom-and-gloom mood a little off of their shoulders.

At 2:30 P.M., there was a knock on the door. Naruto and Lee silently trooped in, both of their faces unusually serious. The grim expressions looked very strange on them. At 3:00 P.M., all six teenagers silently moved towards the door and trooped down the stairs of the dormitory. The owner obviously sensed something was wrong, but failed to inquire after the reason.

The laundry woman's alleyway was as familiar to Tenten as if she had been there every day of her life. She gritted her teeth at the memory of the last time she had been through this way. It seemed nothing happy ever did happen in these grimy places. Why would a laundry woman ever choose to live here in the first place?

She stopped abruptly just as they were about to round the corner, and looked meaningfully at her friends. She was fighting the urge to throw up, but she hid it from them. At that moment, they were all sharing the same gut-wrenching fear. All five of them crowded in for a giant, lopsided group hug with her in the middle, and then she was left feeling alone and exposed when they let go. Tenten noticed the desertedness of this street: there were no pedestrians and seemingly no birds. The silence was unsettling.

She glanced at her watch. Right on time, then.

Naruto looked like he wanted to stop her for a second, and Tenten shook her head. "I've got to go alone, remember?" She was surprised to hear that her voice didn't tremble. Then she turned and walked without looking back into the alleyway.

O0O

Suigetsu, if nothing else, had a watch. A very nice watch, in fact. When he appeared from behind a dumpster giving off the aroma of sulfur and other rotten things as suddenly as if he were a ghost, Tenten only kept herself from flinching by staring at that watch. Golden, the kind with so many miniature dials and stuff inside that you could barely read it. A Rolex, maybe. No doubt he had stolen it.

He grinned, his fang-like canines showing. "We meet again. Good to see you," he said in a sly voice.

Tenten clenched her fists, trying to stay calm. The sight of that face made her blood boil like nothing else. "Yeah," she muttered, trying to bore holes in his head with her eyes alone. Suigetsu seemed to sense that, and laughed his hyena laugh, waving his hand slightly. At once, three more of Orochimaru's goons appeared in the alleyway. One jumped down from a fire escape, while the other two walked silently out of doorways Tenten had failed to notice.

She ground her teeth, grinning a little despite herself. "What, afraid you couldn't take me by yourself?"

Suigetsu's grin never faltered. "Nah. The boss is being a gentleman. You get your very own escort." He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them with his long strides. She took a step backwards, but he lunged forward and caught her arm, leaning forward until his putrid breath filled her nose and his pale eyes obliterated the alleyway from her vision. "Ah, Tenten. Shouldn't you be more polite?"

She jerked out of his grip and made to _show_ him polite, her hand already drawn back in a fist ready to punch the living daylights out of him, but one of the goons was behind her pinning her arms behind her back before she had even seen him move. She caught a glimpse of his spiky hair, and recognized Juugo.

Suigetsu leered at her. "Well. Still got some fight in you…we can fix that. Where's that Hyuuga of yours, eh? Not so brave now, is he? Guess he doesn't want his little cousin back after all—"

"Let go of her."

Tenten nearly laughed at the look on Suigetsu's face then, like he had turned around and gotten hit in the head with a basketball. Neji strode up to the group coolly, his white eyes glinting with hatred.

"Who says I've got to?" Suigetsu challenged. "This was the deal, remember? And since your girlfriend here was nice enough to hand herself over…who says I've got to let her go?" he repeated.

"I do!" yelled a familiar voice, just before a blazing streak of orange and yellow leaped down from the same fire escape that one of the thugs had come from a moment before. Naruto grinned and stood up straight, flashing a peace sign as the goons shifted restlessly from foot to foot, looking back and forth between Neji and Naruto.

"Tenten, my flower of youth! I demand you free her!" yodeled yet another well-known voice. Tenten nearly choked on laughter as she raised her head to see Lee posing as he hung on the side of a building, his bowl cut shining in the sun.

"What the—" Suigetsu sputtered. He whirled, pulling back his lips in a snarl at Neji. "You were to come alone!" Neji shrugged, the slightest hint of a smile at the edge of his lips.

"I did. They came separately, did they not?"

"Either way, your damn cousin's dead," Suigetsu hissed. Neji raised his eyebrows.

"I think not, actually," he said coolly. "You will not lay a single finger on her head."

"Says who?" Suigetsu shouted, clearly panicking at Neji's calm demeanor. There was no need for an answer, however. Tenten could see all the muscles in his body freeze and his eyes widen as Suigetsu looked past her and Neji towards the other end of the alleyway. Hanabi was standing, a silhouette against the light and rubbing one of her eyes. Behind her stood Uchiha Sasuke, his black eyes cold and one hand on Hanabi's shoulder.

"_You_," Suigetsu finally sputtered.

Tenten took the opportunity to yank her arms free of Juugo's grasp and shouted at Naruto and Lee, "NOW!"

Lee leaped down from the building with a hoot and promptly fastened himself to Juugo by the neck, riding on him piggyback as Juugo bashed him against a wall in an attempt to get him off. Naruto socked the nearest thug in the face, who wasn't going down without a fight and hit Naruto back in the gut.

Suigetsu made a wild move to seize Tenten, but she ducked out of the way of his arms and gave him a flying back kick to the shoulder. At the same time, Neji managed to hit one of his pressure points, and he went down in a heap. "Nice one," Tenten grinned at her friend. He smiled slightly.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Go and take care of Hanabi. She's probably scared out of her mind," Tenten yelled over the din. Neji hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, turning and running towards Sasuke and Hanabi.

She supposed she should have noticed it when Orochimaru stepped into the alley, looking like he didn't notice that all of his cronies were currently engaged in a rowdy brawl with a bunch of teenagers. Tenten didn't notice.

Sasuke did, his black eyes narrowing as he stepped in front of Hanabi, hiding her from view. He realized a moment too late that Sakura and Ino, who were supposed to have been the distraction while he stole Hanabi away from her guards, had never showed up outside the building from the alternate route like they were supposed to have.

Orochimaru smiled at the Uchiha, who could feel his blood turning cold at he thought this through, thinking of her sharp insults to him and the bag of tomatoes and her bright, cherry pink hair, and _damn_, how could he have been so careless?

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**A/N: REVIEW PLEASE :D**


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